Along with the Dominican Republic and Cuba, Puerto Rico ranks among the top three destinations in the Caribbean for tourism. In 2011, it welcomed 4 million international tourists – a notable increase over 2010 (3.68 million), representing around 18% of the total inbound market to the region. International tourism revenues, however, remained fairly flat, at US$3.88 billion in 2011 (compared to US$3.60 billion in 2010).

The inbound market is dominated by arrivals from the US. They make up 90% of hotel registrations on the island, making Puerto Rico vulnerable to the state of the economy on the mainland. In 2009, international arrivals dropped to 3.55 million. By 2010, however, when the economy of the US slowly started to recover, international arrivals were back on track, helped along by an aggressive marketing campaign – ‘Puerto Rico Does it Better’ – launched by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC).

While international arrivals dropped, domestic tourism flourished, registering 757,572 hotel arrivals in 2011, compared to 654,397 in 2008. According to the PRTC, during the 2007-09 recession and the years following, many Puerto Ricans opted for a break at home rather than spending money on a holiday abroad or on the US mainland.

This report provides insight into:

Tourist arrivals - overnights and expenditure

Purpose of visit - business, leisure or VFR

Accommodation supply - operating performance

Tourism policy - management

Transport - access and infrastructure

Tourism funding - promotion and future development