Discover Puerto Rico Celebrates a Record-Breaking 2024 and Looks Ahead to 2025 Growth

With Growing Tourism Indicators, The Destination Prepares for Another Monumental Year with New Openings, Major Events and More

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Discover Puerto Rico, the Island's official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), announces a record-breaking year for Puerto Rico's tourism industry in 2024. Fueled by innovative collaborations and strategic efforts, Puerto Rico experienced remarkable growth in air travel, lodging, and employment within the leisure and hospitality sectors.

An Exceptional Year in Tourism Metrics

Puerto Rico reached new heights across key tourism indicators in 2024, cementing a fourth consecutive record-breaking year, underscoring the Island's appeal as a must-visit destination and highlighting the vital role of tourism in driving economic development:

• Air Passenger Growth: Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport experienced record growth in 2024 with over 6.6 million passenger arrivals. This is over 518,000 more passengers and an 8% increase vs. 2023.
• Lodging Demand: The Island saw nearly 7.3 million room nights booked, according to STR and AirDNA data, a 7% increase compared to 2023.
• Job Creation: Puerto Rico achieved a record 101,700 leisure and hospitality jobs by November 2024, a 5% increase over the previous year, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Cruise Tourism Revival: Over 1.4 million cruise passengers visited San Juan Cruise Port in 2024, marking a 10% increase from 2023.

"Puerto Rico's tourism industry has reached new heights in 2024, solidifying our position as a leading global destination," said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico. "This milestone year reflects not just the appeal of the Island's vibrant culture and natural beauty, but the tireless dedication of our team and partners who have embraced innovative strategies to elevate Puerto Rico's profile. As we set our sights on 2025, we're focused on sustaining this momentum and continuing to inspire travelers around the globe to visit our Island."

Strategic Partnerships and Expanded Presence

Discover Puerto Rico's 2024 success was elevated by strategic collaborations with leading brands and media outlets, positioning the organization as a pioneer in destination marketing:

• Live Boricua Campaign Evolution: In March 2024, Discover Puerto Rico unveiled an evolved 'Live Boricua' campaign, deepening its focus on the unique Puerto Rican way of life. Collaborating with Puerto Rican director Luis Gerard and photographer Stephanie Segarra and featuring an all-Puerto Rican cast and crew, the campaign showcases authentic local experiences. Highlighting activities such as exploring El Yunque, dining with chef Mario Pagán in Condado, enjoying Luquillo Beach, and dancing at La Factoría in Old San Juan. According to annual surveys conducted by Strategic Marketing Research & Insights, the destination achieved remarkable progress between 2018 and 2024. Positive perception of Puerto Rico increased from 38% to 48%, familiarity with the destination grew from 34% to 45%, and the likelihood of visiting soared from 15% to 25%. Such substantial growth is a rarity in the travel industry, underscoring Puerto Rico's rising appeal among travelers.
• Technological Advancements: Through collaborations with leading tech brands, Discover Puerto Rico launched innovative AI-driven solutions to ensure marketing materials are effectively finding relevant consumers and that their trip planning process is seamless.
  • With Anoki, the destination connected with modern streaming audiences, using artificial intelligence to understand what content is being shown on screen and targeting ads accordingly.
  • With Clicktripz, the DMO launched CHIME (Chat to Inspire Meaningful Engagement), allowing consumers to converse with a bot to learn about travel to the destination.
  • Additionally, marketing took a step forward by utilizing Times Square's new 3-dimensional billboard capability, making it one of the first destinations to advertise in this way and transporting audiences to the tranquility of the Island.
• Impactful Media Partnerships: Discover Puerto Rico fostered meaningful collaborations with leading media outlets and platforms, amplifying the Island's vibrant culture.
  • The DMO partnered with TIME Magazine at the prestigious TIME100 NEXT Gala, an event honoring emerging leaders shaping the future.
  • Similarly, at Forbes' New Icons event, the energy of Puerto Rico resonated through a surprise live performance by talented Puerto Rican musicians.
  • In collaboration with Atlas Obscura, Discover Puerto Rico created a four-part audio series exploring the Island's cultural roots and global influence.
• Captivating Cruisers: The DMO launched its first-ever cruise-specific promotion with a data-driven strategy designed to resonate with the loyal and engaged cruising audience. The campaign effectively elevated Puerto Rico's profile as a premier cruise destination by leveraging dynamic video content and targeted site-traffic tactics, and contributed to the impressive growth in 2024.
• Beyond Tourism: To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic Piña Colada, Discover Puerto Rico partnered with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to create a custom ice cream flavor that brought the Island to consumers in a fun and unexpected way. Free scoops were handed out from a truck at three New York City locations on Piña Colada Day, while pints sold out in two weeks—surpassing expectations. This collaboration highlighted Puerto Rico's culinary influence and kept the destination top of mind, showcasing its culture and flavors to a wider audience.

"Puerto Rico's tourism growth is a testament to the transformative power of bold marketing and strategic partnerships," Chandler added. "By authentically amplifying the Island's vibrant culture and embracing the latest technologies, we've ignited a new wave of travelers while setting a groundbreaking standard for how destinations connect with audiences on a deeper, more meaningful level."

As the DMO continues to prioritize forward-thinking strategies and conscious travel, 2025 promises to build on the remarkable achievements of 2024. This year, the destination anticipates the introduction of more direct flights from cities across the U.S., including a direct route from San Antonio starting in March 2025; a variety of new hotel openings, including those catering to the luxury market; and the inaugural Puerto Rico Wine and Food Festival, which will showcase the Island's world-class culinary talent.

With no passport, currency exchange, or international phone plan required for U.S. citizens, Puerto Rico is the perfect destination for those seeking a seamless blend of vibrant culture, stunning beaches, world-class cuisine, and thrilling adventures—all infused with the Island's 'Live Boricua' spirit.

For more details on the performance of Puerto Rico's travel and tourism industry, visit www.discoverpuertorico.com/industry.

About Discover Puerto Rico
Discover Puerto Rico is a private, not-for-profit Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) whose mission is to make Puerto Rico visible to the world as a premier travel destination. The DMO brings prosperity to the people of Puerto Rico by collaboratively promoting the Island's diversity and uniqueness for leisure and business travel, and events. It is responsible for all global marketing, sales, and promotion of the destination and works collaboratively with key local governmental and nongovernmental players throughout Puerto Rico's visitor economy and the community at large, to empower economic growth. To discover all the beauty the Island has to offer, visit DiscoverPuertoRico.com.

SOURCE Discover Puerto Rico