Now that the dust has settled on one of Puerto Rico’s most contentious political campaigns and elections, the island’s private sector is hopeful that government officials, especially Governor-elect Alejandro García-Padilla, will set aside partisan bickering to work together to re-energize and move the economy forward.
The Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association will mark its annual convention to be held Sept. 17-21 by asking the island’s gubernatorial candidates to outline their strategies to tackle five main “pillars” of concern to the industry: security, the current labor situation, energy costs, casino-related problems, and the much-discussed creation of the destination management organization.
Puerto Rico’s inclusion in MasterCard’s “Priceless Cities” program has resulted in higher-than-expected levels of success during its first year and is now being set up for an expansion beyond the San Juan metropolitan area into other towns with brisk tourism activity.