As the summer travel season begins, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) notes major tourism milestones with an extremely promising arrival of cruise passengers, reaffirming, in this way, its position as a global attractive destination, despite the significant hurricane damage last year.
With an arrival of about 100,000 cruise passengers in May and an expected arrival of 131,000 in June, Puerto Rico validates its tourism comeback after the devastating hurricane Maria in September 2017.
A major milestone for the cruise industry in the island included the arrival of 17,000 cruise passengers in one day, earlier in May, according to PRTC.
The cruise industry in Puerto Rico has seen growth this year with 14 vessels homeporting – four more than last season – including Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, the Windstar Pride, Silverseas Silver Wind and Viking Sea.
What is more, the 2018/2019 cruising season is expected to witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers, which is expected to generate roughly $250 million in revenue for the Island.
Carla Campos, Active Executive Director of PRTC, stressed:
We continue to make great strides because we implemented a comprehensive strategy that has secured a speedy comeback for the Island. As a result, we can announce that an incredible amount of cruise passengers are expected in May and June, air capacity figures will equal those from 2016 by the Fall, and occupancy remains strong as renovated hotels continue opening their doors… We’re continuing to receive thousands of visitors and at this pace, our summer months look very promising.
