Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2018 | Page 460

Puerto Rico is
OPEN
CRUISES Not only did Puerto Rico resume
operations just two and a half weeks after
Hurricane Maria, but by end of June, 2018, Puerto
Rico will have received 1.04 million passengers.
This Winter season, 14 vessels – four more than the
previous season – are homeporting in San Juan,
including Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas,
the Windstar Pride, Silverseas Silver Wind and
Viking Sea. The 2018/2019 cruising season is set to
witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers,
which is expected to generate roughly $250
million in revenue for the economy.
AIR ACCESS The airline industry is rapidly
restoring and growing. Two weeks after Hurricane
Maria, the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
had 20 daily flights, but today, there are on average
110 daily flights. Capacity is on the rise with a
current monthly seat volume of 391,000. By July
2018, seat capacity will increase by 81,000 more.
Very promising is that by early summer 2018, air
access will be on par with levels this time last year,
and Puerto Rico is growing at a faster pace than
comparable destinations that have gone through
similar situations. Growth is driven by newly
established routes and existing frequency, in
addition to larger aircrafts that will result in higher
seat capacity.
HOTELS Currently, there are over 122 hotels
operating, which equates to 12,458 available
rooms. An exciting 2,670 more rooms will be added
to that inventory after undergoing renovations.
For example, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto
Rico Golf & Beach Resort, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve
and El San Juan Hotel. Looking ahead, the Puerto
Rico Tourism Company estimates 25% more rooms
in the pipeline for development, which equates to
3,800 new rooms. Some of the hotels in the pipeline
are the JW Marriott, Aloft San Juan Convention
Center, Aloft Ponce, Serafina Hotel, Four Seasons
Cayo Largo, among others. Approximately $1.9
billion will be injected into new developments and
renovations, which contributes to adding roughly
3,831 new jobs.
DESTINATION ATTRACTIONS A month
after Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Tourism
Company announced that 22 attractions were
open, however, today there are more than 120.
Additionally, 13 golf courses and 15 casinos are
also open for recreation. Travelers need not worry
about being hungry while on the Island because
Puerto Rico has 4,000 operating restaurants. We
are seeing continued commitment from partners
who are choosing to keep their big-ticket events
in Puerto Rico, like the DIVAS Half Marathon and
5K, PGA, Ironman, and MLB Series, all events
happening in Q1 and Q2 of this year alone.