Discover Puerto Rico, the marketing and sales arm for the destination, together with numerous hotel partners hosted travel professionals and media for a cocktail reception on June 27th in New York. Ed Carey, Director of Sales for Discover Puerto Rico (pictured) presented a very positive overview of this popular Caribbean destination’s travel and tourism scene. Discover Puerto Rico officials also gave thanks to travel professionals for their continued support and increased bookings this year. Some of Puerto Rico’s tourism highlights include:

2019 Q1 Tourism Highlights
January – April 2019 occupancy spending has reached $373.6 million, the highest in the past eight years, and an increase of 12.4% when compared to 2017 pre-hurricane Maria levels. Passenger arrivals are on par with levels of pre-Maria, reaching 1.5 million for the January – April time frame. Total demand for independent rentals is up 72% from 2017 Q1 levels. The remainder of 2019 is booking 24.1% higher than 2018 levels. Overall, the number of room nights in hotels and independent rentals in Q1 increased 17% over 2018, generating the highest first quarter demand in room nights ever recorded in Puerto Rico.

Air and Sea Traffic are Better than Ever
Today, Puerto Rico has an average of 110 daily flights via 24 airlines. Air access has been growing at all airports. San Juan International airport (SJU) saw a 23.8 percent year-over-year increase in air traffic in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first three months of 2018. Puerto Rico’s cruise industry has broken records. January 2019 numbers reflect an increase from previous years of 28.9 percent of visitors to the port and there has been a 56.6 percent increase in home port cruise passengers compared to January 2018. There are 119+ cruise shore excursions for travelers to enjoy.

Meetings & Events
Puerto Rico is a prime destination for hosting meetings, incentives, conferences and events due to extraordinary air access, no passport requirement for U.S citizens and the use of the U.S dollar remain an important value proposition. We provide the ease in doing business with a U.S. destination and the allure of a Caribbean island with a unique history and culture. 2019 Q1 leads and bookings in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) space far surpass past 3-year and 5-year averages. In the upcoming years, Puerto Rico will be the host destination for: WTTC 2020 Global Summit, NADJA 2020, and Connect 2021. Puerto Rico has the most technically-advanced convention center in the Caribbean. The Puerto Rico Convention Center is 600,000 square feet (55,742 sq. m) and offers high-end video conferencing capabilities, a new on-site lobby lounge, 15 meeting rooms, 29 break-out rooms, among other amenities for any type of event. Also coming this year is District San Juan, a five-acre hospitality and entertainment district built in partnership between Island Hospitality Partners and the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority. This complex is destined to be the most vibrant and popular setting for events, conventions and performances of all types in the Caribbean region. The plaza will include a show room with space for more than 6,000 people, 8 premium movie theaters, a variety of restaurants, bars, lounges, and the first day/night disco.

Lodging Developments
There are roughly 157 hotel options open and accepting reservations. Short-term rentals like AirBnb, HomeAway and Join a Join provide roughly 10,000 options for travelers and have generated $3.2M in revenue ever since city tax was imposed on these services in August 2018.

Recent Openings and Re-openings:

  • Recent Re-openings + New Hotels:
    • Caribe Hilton – Reopened in May 2019
    • Tres Sirenas Oceanfront Boutique Hotel, Rincon – Reopened in September 2018
    • Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve – Reopened in October 2018
    • Boho Beach Club, Cabo Rojo – Opened November 2018
    • St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort – Reopened in December 2018
    • Candelero Beach Resort at Palmas del Mar – Opened in December 2018
    • O:LV Fifty-Five – Opened in December 2018
    • El San Juan Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton – Reopened in December 2018
    • Condado Plaza Hilton – Reopened in early 2019
    • Pitahaya Glamping Eco-Retreat – Opened in October 2018
    • Hotel Mi Tierra – Opened in December 2018
  • Future Re-openings + New Hotels:
    • Hyatt Regency, Coco Beach (Previously Meliá Coco Beach) – Opening in July 2019
    • Dreams Resort and Spa, Guánica – Opening in October 2019
    • Hyatt Hacienda del Mar – Reopening in 2019
    • The Ritz Carlton San Juan – Reopening in 2019
    • ALOFT Hotel Ponce – Opening in 2019
    • El Conquistador, A Waldorf Astoria Resort – Reopening in 2020
    • Zafira St. Clair – Opening in 2020

Discover Puerto Rico, www.discoverpuertorico.com