Thread by @DavidBegnaud

THREAD
Great News out of Puerto Rico: 55% increase in tourism demand on the island. Also, small businesses and individual property owners are fueling the recovery of Puerto Rico’s tourism industry, post Hurricane Maria.

There’s a notable increase in tourists traveling outside the San Juan metro area. How do they know they? They’re tracking tourists cell phones (more info on this below). Percentages show most people visits the east coast of the island more than anywhere else.

I asked the folks at Discover Puerto Rico, the islands tourism promoter, to give me some specifics and context on how & and where things are improving.

The information below was sent to me from Brad Dean, Chief Executive Officer at Discover Puerto Rico:

•There’s been a 55% increase in tourism demand vs. 2018 (using three external resources for this: Tourism Economics, Smith Travel Research and AirDNA).
Please note this compares true tourism activity in 2019 vs 2018.

The 2018 hotel statistics were somewhat inflated by post-hurricane relief efforts (e.g. FEMA employees, construction workers, etc.).
By excluding the impact of relief efforts (per analysis by Tourism Economics) & comparing yr-over-yr tourist demand, we’ve seen a 55% increase.

To be clear, Brad says, the revenues are not up 55%, just the activity by tourists.

Per Tourism Economics, in Puerto Rico 2017, tourism accounted for $7.8 Billion in economic output and 83,000 jobs, impacting 17 additional sectors of the economy.
There’s been a 4.8% increase in leisure and hospitality jobs in Puerto Rico since July 2018.

Lodging – small businesses and individual property owners are fueling this recovery. Today, Puerto Rico has more options of hotels and short term rentals than ever in its history.

Jan. – Sep. 2019, we’ve seen an upswing in lodging revenue, approximately 11.2% over record high in 2017, even pre-Maria levels.
Today, there are 14,308 hotel rooms available and 10,321 independent rental units available.

The hotel inventory is ~10% below pre-Maria levels but the independent rental inventory is up 61% compared to pre-Maria.
At this rate, the pace of accommodation bookings for 2020 is running higher for all types of travelers (business, group sales and leisure).

Groups are returning:
Pre-Maria, groups (e.g. conventions, meetings) were about 20% of the tourism to the island. That number declined due to Zika, then the hurricanes.

In Jan – Sept 2019, we booked 197 “business events” that represent $86.9 Million direct economic impact. This is the highest amount in the past 5 years, a very strong sign that business travelers are returning to the island.

Puerto Rico has also been selected as the host for several high-profile business events, including the Global Tourism Summit hosted by the World Travel and Tourism Council. This is considered to be the “G20 Summit of Tourism”.

Airlift – Current total air access is at a 10-year high, surpassing the 2015 records.
There’s been an uplift in lower cost carriers, and several of the legacy carriers (e.g. Delta, American) are projecting increased capacity flying to the island in the winter season of 2020.

A new route from Detroit will be added in Dec, & in Baltimore & Boston, plane capacity is expanding so there’s an opportunity to bring in even more travelers.
Overall, we’re seeing an almost 2% increase in total arrivals to San Juan International Airport compared to 2017 numbers.

Today, Puerto Rico has an average of 200 daily flights via 24 airlines. Considering that we are just barely two years out from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, this is pretty impressive.

Discover Puerto Rico’s objective is to put the transformative power of travel to work for the people of Puerto Rico, by doubling the size of the visitor economy. One key strategy is promoting the non-metro area.

This helps small businesses outside of the metro area, but it also gives visitors more reasons to extend their stay and travel throughout the island. Mobile phone tracking (from Arrivalist) to monitor visitor behavior, i.e. where visitors travel within the island.

Of those who visit the San Juan metro area, 19% visit the west coast (e.g. Cabo Rojo, Aguadilla, Mayaguez, etc.), 5% visit Vieques or Culebra, 14% visit the center of the island (e.g. Orocovis) and 26% visit the eastern coast.

Historically, most tourism activity has been concentrated in the metropolitan area, where most hotels are located.
This accounts for record levels of visitation outside the metro area.

Tourism officials want to grow this far beyond what they’re seeing today, but they note this is very encouraging sign, 2-years post-Maria.

Opening in Feb. 2020 is El Distrito San Juan, a five-acre hospitality and entertainment district built in partnership between Island Hospitality Partners and the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority.

It aims tobe the most vibrant and popular setting for events, conventions and performances of all types in the Caribbean region.

There’s a resurgence of entrepreneurism with a boom in restaurants openings, which contribute to the local economy.
Gallery owners contribute to the local economy, & booming arts culture.
This generation of local businesses go on amid challenges to the environment & economy.

It’s the spirit and resilience of Puerto Ricans that has created this collaborative entrepreneurial environment.

We’re positioning the Island as the epicenter for LGBTQ+ travel in the Caribbean given Puerto Rico’s inclusivity.
There’s been a great increase in LGBTQ+-owned local businesses, which the DMO is focused on promoting.

We repositioned the brand to define who we are as a destination and that was introduced earlier this year in addition to our first-ever brand campaign “Have We Met Yet?”

All information was sent to me by Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico)