Catalina Prats Torres, one of the early figures in the development of tourism in Sant Antoni and Ibiza, has died at the age of 93.

Prats died on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Her funeral service is being held on Friday, September 25, at 6pm at the Parish Church of Sant Antoni, following a viewing at Pompas Fúnebres Ibiza.

Born in Sant Antoni in 1933, Prats began working in tourism at the age of 18. In 1951, she joined the Fonda Esmeralda, where she gained her first experience in hospitality and working with visitors during the early years of the island's tourism industry.

From Fonda Esmeralda to Pensión Catalina

In 1955, Prats took over the Pensión Tropical, her first independent business. The following year she married Pepe Luis Valdés, with whom she would build a long career in hospitality.

Their most important project was the Pensión Catalina in ses Variades. They began developing the property in late 1956, when the area was still largely undeveloped.

The Pensión Catalina opened on June 10, 1957. At the time, ses Variades was a very different landscape from the busy waterfront area it would later become. The establishment was among the first tourist businesses to open along that part of the Sant Antoni coast.

Prats and Valdés later expanded their hospitality activities, including the Hotel Coves Blanques, which they operated for 26 years. Their businesses became closely connected with the growth of tourism in Sant Antoni during the second half of the 20th century.

A Witness to Sant Antoni's Transformation

Prats's personal history reflected the rapid transformation of Sant Antoni from a small coastal community into an international tourism destination.

In February 2024, aged 90, she took part in a Club Nàutic Sant Antoni event dedicated to her life and career. During the event, she recalled her early years in hospitality, the opening of the Pensión Catalina and the changes she witnessed in ses Variades and across Sant Antoni.

The Pensión Catalina also became associated with visitors from the worlds of culture and the arts. Among those who stayed there were writer and screenwriter Rafael Azcona and painter Walter Keane, according to the historical account preserved by the Club Nàutic Sant Antoni.

Prats's business activities later extended beyond hotels. She also operated fashion boutiques in Sant Antoni, including Catalina Prats Ibiza Moda, reflecting another side of her long career as an entrepreneur.

Remembered as a Pioneer

The Club Nàutic Sant Antoni described Prats as a pioneer of tourism in Sant Antoni and highlighted her importance as a witness to the island's early tourism years.

Her story provides a first-hand account of a period when tourism was only beginning to transform the municipality. From her first job at the Fonda Esmeralda to the creation of the Pensión Catalina and the management of Hotel Coves Blanques, her working life spanned several decades of profound change in Sant Antoni.

Catalina Prats Torres is survived by her family and leaves behind a business and personal history closely connected to the development of modern Sant Antoni.