by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:20 PM ET, Tue June 13, 2023
Puerto Rico’s visitor arrivals, tourism demand and lodging
income all posted year-over-year increases in the early part of 2023, according to data from
Discover Puerto Rico (DPR), the country’s tourism marketing organization.
From January through April, “The arrival of passengers increased
by 18.6 percent and the demand for short-term rentals and hotels is 14 percent
above 2022,” said Cecilia Rodríguez, a DPR analyst and researcher, at briefing for
media last week.
Additionally, hotel, short-term rental and airline reservations
made by travelers during the second and third quarters of 2023 “exceed
the reservations pace seen at this time of the year in 2022,” said DPR officials.
"It is very positive to see the momentum the industry
continued to experience during the first quarter and the beginning of the
second quarter,” said Brad Dean, DPR’s CEO.
“The numbers through April showed increases compared to
last year's period in all our key metrics,” said Dean. “Demand is growing, our
brand is strong, and most importantly, more people are employed in tourism than
ever before.”
While
Puerto Rico’s average daily hotel rates (ADRs) are up year-over-year in 2023,
they continue to lag behind other Caribbean destinations, say DPR officials. Puerto
Rico’s hotel ADR is up six percent this year and rates are 30 percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, said officials.
Still, Puerto Rico’s rates remain below that of the Caribbean average, according
to DPR. In March, the Caribbean’s overall ADR was $408, which DPR officials
say is 16 percent higher than Puerto Rico’s rate.
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