On Sept. 30, a mostly empty Boeing 747 lifted off from Baltimore-Washington International Airport bound for Havana — ushering in the first regularly scheduled air service between the U.S. and Cuban capitals since the two nations broke diplomatic ties more than half a century earlier.
Puerto Rico is $73 billion in the hole, a sustained drought recently led to severe water shortages — at one point forcing some San Juan residents to limit their showers to two a week — and potential rival Cuba is about to open up the floodgates to U.S. visitors.
Puerto Rico benefitted from $198 million in total cruise tourism expenditures during the 2014/2015 cruise year, which in turn, generated 5,209 jobs and $75 million in wages, according to a study released Wednesday by Business Research & Economic Advisors.