Discover Puerto Rico among ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies’
Business magazine Fast Company has recognized Discover Puerto Rico in the Travel and Hospitality category of its “World’s Most Innovative Companies” ranking for 2023. The accolade, which in the past has been awarded to notable companies such as SpaceX, Warner Media and Microsoft, is specifically for the success of the destination marketing organization’s “Live Boricua” campaign in promoting Puerto Rican culture as a unique selling point of the island.
According to Discover Puerto Rico’s Visitor Profile study, the warm climate, scenic beauty and Puerto Rican culture are the top factors that influence travelers to choose the island as their destination. The “Live Boricua” campaign has conveyed some of the island’s culture to potential visitors worldwide, resulting in an economic boost for the island’s visitor economy.
The campaign was designed to distinguish Puerto Rico from other destinations by highlighting the island’s rich historical, gastronomical and musical heritage. Within its first six months, the campaign reached 36 million households, resulting in an increase in travelers’ familiarity and positive perception of Puerto Rico, leading to record visitation numbers, lodging income, tax revenue and jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector in 2022.
Discover Puerto Rico’s chief executive officer, Brad Dean, expressed his gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the organization’s desire to showcase the island’s unique culture to visitors.
“We are very honored with this recognition,” he said. “We wanted our promotion to go beyond the sand and beaches and for visitors to have an authentic cultural experience that would inspire them to explore the whole island, our food, our cocktails, our music, and our dancing. We aim to create a special connection that will lead them to return to our destination.”
For her part, the DMO’s chief marketing officer, Leah Chandler, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of the traveler experience.
“We are at a time when people are looking to immerse in the heart of the destination they visit, and ‘Live Boricua’ highlights those cultural experiences that they can only have authentically here in Puerto Rico,” she said.
Discover Puerto Rico’s marketing campaigns showcase the island’s beaches and popular attractions such as Old San Juan, the El Yunque rainforest and bioluminescent bays as well as highlight Puerto Rican cultural traditions such as “bomba” dancing; the “vejigantes” tradition of folkloric characters who make an appearance at festivals; Puerto Rican music; culinary delights such as “bacalaitos, empanadillas and mofongo”; and cocktails like the piña colada, which is widely believed to have originated in Puerto Rico.
