#CoverTheProgress
On the frontline of climate change
PUERTO RICO’S VIRAL #COVERTHEPROGRESS CAMPAIGN PUT IT BACK ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY, AFTER THE
ISLAND WAS DEVASTATED BY HURRICANE MARIA IN 2017. STUART WOOD FINDS OUT HOW
n September 2017, the
Caribbean island of
Puerto Rico was
devastated by Hurricane
Maria – the deadliest natural disaster
it has faced in recorded history. It
killed 2,975 people on the island, and
caused an estimated USD$91bn of
damage across the Atlantic coastline,
mostly in Puerto Rico. Maria was part
of an unusually hyperactive hurricane
season, which also included Hurricanes
Harvey, Irma and Nate.
The rise in the frequency and
intensity of such natural disasters has
been linked to changes in the Earth’s
climate. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) says that sea surface
temperatures worldwide have risen by
an average of 0.1°C since 1970. While
this may not seem like a lot, it is
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
enough to create favourable conditions
for strong storms to develop.
Puerto Rico, then, is a destination
which finds itself on the frontline of
climate change. While the major global
powers are debating climate policies
and emissions targets from the safety
of their landlocked skyscrapers, it is
the smaller island nations and coastal
cities that are paying the price.
Inspiring change through positivity
Puerto Rico, whose capital San Juan
also hosted the ICCA congress in 2012,
has refused to let its image be defined
by destruction. Discover Puerto Rico,
the island’s destination management
company, partnered with agency
Ketchum and the community of Punta
Santiago to deliver a campaign which
aimed to promote stories of resilience
and restoration.
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ISSUE 104
Above: Carnaval
in 2018
Below: Old San
Juan
#CoverTheProgress was aimed at
international media, and encouraged
them to post stories about Puerto Rico
which didn’t focus solely on the
damage done by Maria. Its positive
message struck a chord, and with only
a small amount of video and
photographic material - and no paid
advertising - it delivered over 14.5
billion media impressions.
Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto
Rico, says: “Positive stories can
profoundly inspire change and
strengthen our resolve. While
#CoverTheProgress focused on one
community, it was symbolic for an
island of people who refused to let
Maria be the last chapter in their story.
We heard from countless individuals
who were supporting Puerto Rico in
many ways, and this campaign let them
know that one of the best ways to help
the people of Puerto Rico was to visit
the island.”
It isn’t just leisure tourism that has
been given a boost by the campaign,
either: the MICE industry has seen a
huge boom in the wake of the coverage.
Dean adds: “We are enjoying an
unprecedented pace of growth in