Formentera hopes to tap sustainable tourism levy for nautical sports centre build and bid to regulate moorage at Estany des Peix

foto estany des peixCounci officials have unveiled two projects they intend to fund with the island's yearly plan to promote sustainable tourism in 2018. The projects —construction of the island's nautical sports center (CEN for its initials in Catalan) and regulation of Estany des Peix— will cost a combined €1.4 million.

Estany des Peix
The plan to install pontoons and low-impact moorage points is guided by a logic of restoring the lake's natural environmental conditions by encouraging orderly, regulated mooring of boats. The bipartisan proposal is aimed at meeting a demand for the service which typically spikes in summer. Regulated moorage has been identified as vital to ongoing use of traditional small drydocks and preservation of natural surroundings.

Given the project's alignment with the key priorities of “Landscapes, conservation and education about environmental-interest sites”set out in the island's annual sustainable tourism strategy for 2018, Council officials are asking to use money from the sustainable tourism tax to finance the €652,156 investment (VAT included).

Nautical Sports Centre
The Nautical Sports Centre build and relocation of the island's municipal sailing school are aimed at tempering the summer-heavy focus of tourism and, at the same time, bolster the amount of “active nautical tourism” available in the low season. Plans are also in place to leverage the public space for educational initiatives concerning the environment inland and at sea.

The project squares with the sustainable tourism strategy's objective of “Acqusition, protection, preservation, modernisation and recuperation of natural, rural and marine environments”, which is why Council officials hope to tap funds from the sustainable tourism levy to pay the €764,433 price tag (VAT included).