On the heels of a record-breaking year in travel and tourism for Puerto Rico, Discover Puerto Rico, the Island’s official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) reflects on a groundbreaking five years of continued growth for Puerto Rico’s tourism economy, following a powerful brand evolution for the Island that has placed data-backed strategies at the forefront of award-winning marketing efforts.
Since its inception in July 2018, Discover Puerto Rico has effectively created and implemented multi-channel marketing tactics and campaigns designed for the progression of the destination and DMO, to help advance its mission of bringing prosperity to Puerto Rico by positioning the Island as a premier destination for leisure, business, and event travel. From being named among Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2023 to winning three Emmy Awards for its series “Sounds like Puerto Rico,” and hosting superstar Jimmy Fallon on-Island for a show taping, the DMO has excelled in both its creativity and execution in its mission.
“Despite facing some of the most extreme challenges in recent history, including natural weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic, our team led the travel inspiration that resulted in record-breaking numbers through strategic practices alongside local stakeholders, that drove travelers to the Island when we needed it most,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “I’m beyond proud of our accomplishments and look forward to continuing our visitation growth and further solidifying our standing as a best-in-class Destination Marketing Organization.”
Following a data-driven and agile approach to marketing, Discover Puerto Rico has propelled economic prosperity for the people of Puerto Rico through the tourism sector and elevated the Island on a global scale, including global marketing in Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Colombia, among others in addition to the U.S. In recent years, the Island has reported peaks in incoming travelers, record revenues and more local tourism employees than ever. Highlight statistics include:
Approximately $8.7 billion in revenue was generated by travel and tourism through June 2023, a 63% increase from 2018 highs. (Tourism Economics)
More than 5.6 million passengers arrived at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in the last fiscal year, an 8% increase over FY 21-22. (Aerostar)
The Island now employs the most individuals in travel and tourism related jobs ever, over 93,600, a 22% increase over the previous high in 2019. Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector in Puerto Rico has increased by 12.8% compared to pre-pandemic levels, while employment numbers in the U.S. remain 4% below when considering the same period. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Breakthrough creative campaigns that elevate Puerto Rico’s culture and diverse tourism offerings, paired with targeted media relations and thought leadership efforts, and award-winning content through owned channels, have driven massive results for the destination and the DMO. Among the most successful Discover Puerto Rico-led tactics, campaigns and more that led to these numbers include:
“Live Boricua” – Launched in May 2022, this innovative brand campaign is the manifestation of Discover Puerto Rico’s focus on elevating local culture while underscoring values-based marketing. Live Boricua emphasizes diverse people and culture, with a distinction no other destination can claim: the word “Boricua,” or a person born in Puerto Rico or of Puerto Rican descent. The campaign’s insights, creative and assets showcase the Puerto Rican way of life – and were developed by Boricuas. The campaign encourages travelers to embrace the spirit, passion and cultural uniqueness of the Island’s people. Live Boricua has generated over 515 million in media impressions from earned media tactics and nearly 1.5 million pageviews driven by paid media, with over 483,000 of those visitors engaging with multiple pages on the site. The campaign undergoes constant reviews to enhance content, messaging and stay true to the local spirit of the Boricua community, informed by locals themselves.
“Sunshine to Spare” – Discover Puerto Rico partnered with the Pantone Color Institute to create a first-of-its-kind color inspired by the hue of Puerto Rican sunlight, based on findings by Puerto Rican physicist, Hector J. Jimenez. The new color – Puerto Rico Sunshine – has taken on a life of its own, with collaborations alongside notable entities like ECOS Paint and designer Christian Cowan. It has also sparked an unprecedented pride in the local Boricua community, with a multitude of small businesses creating unique products – from jewelry to popsicles – inspired by the color sold, now through the Sunshine Shop on the Discover Puerto Rico website. Travelers can also partake in the new Sunshine Route – a curated map that showcases how visitors can experience Puerto Rico Sunshine via a road trip to destinations across the Island, exploring both activities and products as part of the program. To date, this multifaceted campaign has garnered 1 billion impressions.
Elevating DMO and Island Talent into New Spaces – The DMO has made strides in giving a platform to both on-Island talent and DMO executives. Among these, Discover Puerto Rico partnered with leading Chef, Mario Pagan and local rum brands at Food & Wine festivals in Aspen and Austin with the goal of highlighting what it means to Live Boricua and promoting Puerto Rico’s strong gastronomy and rum culture. Additionally, Brad Dean (CEO) and Leah Chandler (CMO) represented the DMO in leading conferences across industries, including South by Southwest, BrandSmart 2023 and the Reuters Strategic Marketing Conference, speaking on Discover Puerto Rico’s unique values-based marketing approach, a testament to the DMO’s best-in-class standing.
Standout efforts in meetings and events further promote Puerto Rico as a leading destination in the MICE space. Discover Puerto Rico’s enhanced promotional efforts on the mainland have led to record breaking group numbers and a strong roster of events hosted on-Island, including the first ever Spanish countdown of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve for two consecutive years, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Backlash, the Women in Travel Summit as well as the leading Hispanic award-show Premios Juventud. The DMO has set the stage for upcoming events including the Society of American Travel Writers’ (SATW) annual conference and the International Gay Lesbian Travel Summit (IGLTA) Global Convention.
The DMO remains focused on strategies that safeguard the destination in the future. From a robust Crisis Communication Playbook to an additional tool that creates strategies to implement in light of economic turmoil, the Economic Playbook, preparedness measures outside of the proactive marketing efforts to attract travelers are prevalent and further demonstrate this DMO’s holistic approach.
With its evolved and solidified brand positioning five years in the making, the DMO will continue to build on recent successes, promoting Puerto Rico on a global scale through a values-based marketing approach that continues to elevate the Boricua experience, the Island’s growing infrastructure and the value propositions that make the destination an exceptional option for visitors.