Discover Puerto Rico seeks to drive tourism sector to ‘strongest ever’ results
Discover Puerto Rico is focusing on strategies to help stabilize the island’s economy through tourism and “drive visitor-powered employment and revenue to new records,” as per its 2021-22 Strategic Marketing Business Plan.
The 109-page report calls for surpassing 2019 visitation numbers, increasing average daily rate (ADR) for hotel rooms, and attracting a more “conscientious traveler” in the wake of COVID-19, the entity stated.
Its promotional strategies and sales tactics aim to accelerate the growth and economic momentum the island saw prior to when the pandemic brought travel to a standstill in 2020 and counteract the negative impact of various threats, especially COVID-19, said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.
The plan provides a blueprint for how Discover Puerto Rico is spearheading strong growth of the visitor economy and the island’s tourism brand, based on current trends in the marketplace, and the significant tourism and hospitality resources in place today.
“Despite natural disasters and an unprecedented global pandemic, Puerto Rico has become a shining example of resiliency and recovery in tourism. And through innovation, collaboration, sound research and best-in-class marketing practices, our team has shined a light on the island and its many attributes,” said Dean.
“As a result, tourism holds great promise for our island, and we believe our best days lie ahead,” he said.
The DMO submitted its plan to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, La Fortaleza, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.
The entity’s sales and service initiatives aim to continue the recent growth in meeting, convention, incentive, and leisure travel sales.
For instance, Discover Puerto Rico said Puerto Rico now had eight straight weeks of more room nights sold than two years ago, which it said is nearly 100,000 additional hotel room nights in the last two months.
“And we’re seeing these kinds of increases when the rest of the US continues to run about 7.5% below where they were two years ago,” Dean said. “Current bookings through the end of Discover Puerto Rico’s fiscal year exceeded that of the record-setting pace of 2019, when the total economic impact of tourism in Puerto Rico exceeded $9 billion.”
“I’m proud that through the dedicated efforts of our team here at Discover Puerto Rico, we have – in three short years — consistently delivered exceptional results,” added Dean. “As we continue to implement our strategic plan, I’m certain that, alongside our community, business and government partners, we will maximize the economic impact of travel and tourism to Puerto Rico.”
