On a recent visit to Ibiza town and the Dalt Villa area, I was surprised to find out that a number of high profile cultural attractions were closed indefinitely. The ancient Punic burial grounds and museum at Puig De Moulins, has been closed for well over a year now, as is the Archaeological Museum at the Cathedral Square in Dalt Villa. A number of other cultural attractions have also had their opening hours reduced. Further research found that Government Budget cutbacks were the reason for the closures.
As Ibiza relies heavily on Tourism for its income, the expression, cutting off your nose to spite your face springs to mind. It would compare to Westminster closing the Tower of London because it felt it wasn't a viable attraction. Somebody seriously needs to have a word with the people responsible for making these decisions. A lack of funding is not an excuse, when you consider that Dalt Villa is a UNESCO World Heritage site and that museums and culture go hand in hand with heritage and all that UNESCO promote. It would not take a whole lot of effort to find alternative funding to keep the museums open. A few more concerts like the one David Guetta held recently in Dalt Villa, raised entry fees into the Museums or a tax on club drink prices, would be some suggestions that the blog would put forward. Its a sad and shameful reflection on the Islands rich and proud culture that a short sighted closure of museums is considered the right thing to do.
