Puerto Rico’s tourism and meetings numbers are on fire, with serious spikes in both the leisure and business travel segments that go beyond a post-pandemic rebound.
According to Discover Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory’s DMO, the destination has enjoyed a dramatic increase not only in the post-pandemic period, but also over the past five years.
“Despite facing some of the most extreme challenges in recent history, including natural weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic, our team led the travel inspiration that resulted in record-breaking numbers through strategic practices alongside local stakeholders, that drove travelers to the Island when we needed it most,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, in a prepared statement. “I’m beyond proud of our accomplishments and look forward to continuing our visitation growth and further solidifying our standing as a best-in-class Destination Marketing Organization.”
[Related: Puerto Rico Offers a Warm “Boricua” Welcome for Groups]
Puerto Rico Tourism Arrival Statistics
According to Discover Puerto Rico, which was founded in 2018 to market the destination, the following statistics are evidence of a dramatic spike in meetings and tourism business over the past five years:
- The economic impact of fiscal year 2022-2023 (groups booked July-May) as $129.5 million, which was 16% higher than the same timeframe in fiscal year 2021-2022 and 57% higher than fiscal year 2018-2019. (Source: Simpleview)
- Booked group room nights in 2022 doubled those from 2021, and the number of events currently booked for the remainder of 2023 are 41% higher versus the same time last year and 89% higher than the 2019 benchmark. (Source: Simpleview) There was a 24.4% increase in hotel demand as of January 2023 when compared to same time in 2019. (Source: STR)
- Travel spending increased by 26.7% as of January 2023, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. (Source: Tourism Economics)
- Hotels and rentals generated more than $500 million in revenue in Q1 2023, which was 24% higher than 2022 and 78% higher than pre-pandemic revenue. (Source: STR)
- Approximately $8.7 billion in revenue was generated by travel and tourism through June 2023, a 63% increase from 2018 highs. (Source: Tourism Economics)
- There was a 26.2% increase in air passengers as of January 2023 when compared to same time in 2019. (Source: Airline Data Inc.; TSA). Total air arrivals into Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU) were 21% higher for Q1 2023 than a year ago. (Source: SJU Airport) More than 5.6 million passengers arrived at SJU in the last fiscal year, an 8% increase over FY 2021-2022. (Source: Aerostar)
- Puerto Rico now employs the most individuals in travel and tourism related jobs ever, over 93,600, a 22% increase over the previous high in 2019. Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector in Puerto Rico has increased by 12.8% compared to pre-pandemic levels, while employment numbers in the U.S. remain 4% below when considering the same period. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
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