November 2013: Unleashing PR’s Tourism Potential

Puerto Rico is not alone in trying to lure tourists to its shores and help reduce the island’s reliance on other industries. Despite economic and financial turmoil in different countries, the world still travels. This issue presents key figures and trends in Puerto Rico’s tourism. Can it grow faster than manufacturing, retail or construction? As measured by jobs in leisure and hotel accommodations, tourism has been generating jobs at approximately 1% since 2003, faster than the reduction of -4.2% in manufacturing, -7.0% in construction, and -0.4% in retail. How much do international visitors spend in PR? Along these lines, PR has launched a millionaire advertising campaign to attract more visitors to the island and increase the economic impact of tourism. Travelling for health and sun is gaining momentum in other countries. Millennials have different travelling habits from traditional tourists. Finally, we highlight the future of travel in PR. What will it take to succeed? The task may prove more difficult than suggested by Boston Consulting Group’s recent economic plan.