Five Months After Hurricane Season, Puerto Rico Provides Tourism Update
by Richard D'Ambrosio
Harbor in San Juan. Photo: Shutterstock.com.
Puerto Rico’s cruise ports are forecasting 1.7 million visitors this season, as recovery efforts are bringing more tourism infrastructure back online, including new and renovated hotels representing about 2,600 rooms.
This winter season, 14 vessels – four more than the previous season – are now homeporting in San Juan, including Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, the Windstar Pride, Silversea’s Silver Wind, and Viking Sea. The 2018/2019 cruising season is set to witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers (including more than 1 million by the end of June), which is expected to generate roughly $250 million in revenue for the economy.
Today, there are on average 110 daily flights at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, representing about 391,000 seats per month. By July 2018, seat capacity will increase by 81,000 more seats per month, with the island expecting to reach last summer’s levels.
Currently, there are more than 120 hotels in operation, representing about 12,460, with another 2,670 more rooms undergoing renovations at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve and El San Juan Hotel. New hotels in the pipeline are the JW Marriott, Aloft San Juan Convention Center, Aloft Ponce, Serafina Hotel, and Four Seasons Cayo Largo.
El San Juan Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, Puerto Rico’s premier luxury lifestyle property, announced this week that it will officially reopen its doors on Oct. 1, 2018, following its closure in September 2017 due to Hurricane Maria.
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) said 13 golf courses, 4,000 restaurants and 15 casinos are open, and there is $1.9 billion in investment in Puerto Rico’s lodging development pipeline, creating 3,500 new jobs.
The country recently hosted the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the 15th coming together of this important regional tourism event, and a number of organizations are continuing with plans to host big-ticket events in Puerto Rico through the first six months of the year, including the PGA, Ironman, and Major League Baseball.
