Sant Antoni de Portmany - History

History

For two thousand years, Sant Antoni was a small fishing village that rose from the roman natural harbor Portus Magnus, but it began to grow in the late 1950s when many hotels and tourist resorts were built as part of a mass tourism initiative which took place across Spain. As the number of tourists grew the development of bars, hotels and other tourist infrastructure spread right around to the other side of San Antonio bay, as far as Cala de Bou which actually lies in the adjacent municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia.

Since the 1980s British tourists have made up the majority of summertime visitors to San Antonio, many are attracted by programmes such as the Ibiza Uncovered series on Sky TV as well as the laid-back Ibiza lifestyle. Due to the sheer number of noisy and drunken British tourists during the summer season many foreign language websites have begun to actively advise against staying in San Antonio, recommending quiter locations like Santa Eulària Portinatx or Es Canar

Since the global economic crisis and the end of the Spanish property bubble in 2008 the pace of development in San Antonio has slowed and a large number of construction projects remain partially completed. There has also been a dramatic fall in tourist revenue, as many potential visitors have less disposable income to spend on foreign holidays.