Puerto Rico Announces Major Tourism Milestones

WHY IT RATES: Several months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s tourism industry is once again making strides.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

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The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) announced today its rapid-pace recovery efforts and positive outlook for 2018. What better occasion than at the 15th edition of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the most important regional tourism event of the Caribbean, and particularly meaningful this year, with Puerto Rico as the host destination. This reaffirms Puerto Rico's readiness to host visitors from around the world.

"We have made great strides because we've implemented a comprehensive strategy which has, in turn, secured a promising comeback for the Island," expressed Carla Campos, Acting Executive Director of the PRTC. "Puerto Rico has reached great milestones that couldn't have been achieved without Governor Ricardo Rossello's leadership and the immense support we've received from travel industry private sector partners since day one. With more than 1.9 billion dollars of hospitality development in the pipeline and an existing lodging inventory undergoing exciting renovations, Puerto Rico's revamping is underway."

Major milestones important for leisure and business travelers include:

—Cruises: Not only did Puerto Rico rescue operations just two and a half weeks after Hurricane Maria but by end of June 2018, Puerto Rico will have welcomed 1.04 million passengers.

This winter season, 14 vessels – four more than the previous season – are homeporting in San Juan, including Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, the Windstar Pride, Silverseas Silver Wind and Viking Sea. The 2018/2019 cruising season is set to witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers, which is expected to generate roughly $250 million in revenue for the economy.

—Air Access: The airline industry is rapidly growing. Two weeks after Hurricane Maria, the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport had 20 daily flights, but today, there are on average 110 daily flights.

Capacity is on the rise with a current monthly seat volume of 391,000. By July 2018, seat capacity will increase by 81,000 more. It is very promising to know that by early summer 2018, air access will be on par with levels this time last year, and Puerto Rico is growing at a faster pace than comparable destinations that have gone through similar situations. Growth is driven by newly established routes and existing frequency, in addition to larger aircrafts that will result in higher seat capacity.

—Hotels: With more than 120 hotels operating, there are currently 12,458 available rooms. An exciting 2,670 more rooms will be added to that inventory after undergoing renovations.

Looking ahead, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company estimates 25 percent more rooms in the pipeline for development, which equates to 3,800 new rooms. Some of the hotels in the pipeline are the JW Marriott, Aloft San Juan Convention Center, Aloft Ponce, Serafina Hotel, Four Seasons Cayo Largo, among others. Approximately $1.9 billion will be injected into new developments and renovations, which contributes to adding roughly 3,831 new jobs.

—Destination Attractions: A month after Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company announced 22 attractions were open, however, today there are more than 120. Additionally, 13 golf courses and 15 casinos are also open for recreation. With Puerto Rico's 4,000 operating restaurants, travelers also have plenty of ways to enjoy Puerto Rican cuisine.

We are seeing a continued commitment from partners who are choosing to keep their big-ticket events in Puerto Rico. The DIVAS Half Marathon and 5K, PGA, Ironman, and MLB Series, all events happening in Q1 and Q2 of this year alone.

The PRTC is proud to announce significant milestones achieved by implementing fact and case study based planning based on destination management principles and strong partnerships with the public and private sectors who have demonstrated increased commitment and confidence in Puerto Rico's comeback. Instilling a forward-thinking approach that allows the destination to be more innovative in reaching its goals and identifying where our investments will give us the biggest return are instrumental pillars of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company Destination Recovery Strategy.

SOURCE: Puerto Rico Tourism Company press release.