The destination of Puerto Rico, which opened a first tourist promotion office in July 2018 (Discover Puerto Rico), now has a new message to deliver to tourists.

Not only is it open to business after the devastating hurricanes of September 2017, but it has more hotel rooms than ever before and now wants to position itself as a "leisure and business" destination.

That's the message delivered by Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, at a press conference at the IPW Tourism Show, currently being held in Anaheim, California.

"Puerto Rico now has a new message to deliver to tourists," said Dean. We want to bring the tourism and travel industry to another level, as this sector is crucial to the success of the island. "

"Whereas after the hurricanes Maria and Irma in September 2017, the message was" SOS, we need food and water, a year later, our message was now we have an amazing story of rebounding to tell. "

In addition, he pointed out that 156 hotels are open and are now accepting bookings as well as more than 10,000 rental units that are available on sites such as HomeAway and Airbnb.

"Two years after hurricanes, we are able to offer more accommodation options than ever before to our visitors. This is something we never thought we would be able to announce at the 51 IPW edition a few months ago. It's not just the inventory that has doubled, it's the fact that visitors are coming back. The first quarter of 2019 was equal to the first quarter of 2017 before hurricanes. The demand for independent chambers has increased by 72% compared to the same period before hurricanes," he said.

"Since hurricanes, incredible progress has been made in the destination. Several destinations have been renewed and renovated, "he added.

Mr. Dean recalled that 24 airlines serve Puerto Rico with a total of 110 flights per day. "The San Juan International Airport has seen an incredible increase in arrivals during the first quarter of the year, 24% over the same period last year."

Ditto for the cruise industry, while 2018 was a record year for the destination, with 1.6 million cruise passengers, who landed on the island.

Dean also announced a new partnership between Norwegian Cruise Line and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority that will expand the San Juan port of entry and accommodate more ships and cruise lines.

On the excursions side, Mr. Dean pointed out that more than 119 tours are available in Puerto Rico, experiences that cannot be found anywhere else. "Whether it's hotels, airlines, cruises or excursions, you can see that Puerto Rico is back," he said.

More than a sun destination

"We are not only a leisure destination, but also a business destination with the most technologically advanced convention center in the Caribbean. Another good news is that we will be celebrating the opening of the San Juan District (District of San Juan) soon, which will be a major change for the destination and the Caribbean in general. "

With a new website and a new advertising campaign called "Have we met before?", Puerto Rico aims to position itself as the next global destination for "leisure and business" and not just as a beach destination. said Brad Dean.

With more than 4,000 restaurants, Puerto Rico is a haven for food, history, music and art lovers, Dean said, urging tourists to visit San Juan this year as the capital celebrates its 500th anniversary and there is no better time to visit it.

For more information: discoverpuertorico.com.