Puerto Rico is outpacing last year’s holiday-season figures by 2% in air and cruise ship arrivals, Willianette Robles Cancel, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), told W JOURNAL. She estimates 2.6 million tourists will arrive by air and another 400,000 passengers through cruise ports during the holiday season. Robles Cancel said higher flight costs driven by rising oil prices have not reduced arrivals.
"The situation unfolding in the Middle East affects the entire air travel industry, but it impacts all countries alike; this is not unique to Puerto Rico," she said, noting airlines are making operational adjustments, some cutting air capacity and others potentially raising ticket prices. "I wouldn’t say it’s having a negative impact, because people continue to travel and continue to arrive, and the numbers reflect this."
Ahead of the season, the Tourism Company launched a holiday campaign, "La Trulla más Grande del Mundo," after an investment of nearly $200,000. It highlights Puerto Rican music through cultural events and seasonal festivals, with VoyTuristeando trullas bringing traditional parrandas to municipalities and tourist regions. The campaign includes an original song and a holiday songbook; Robles Cancel estimates a return on investment of between $800,000 and $1 million.
It officially kicks off Friday, November 13, at the Paseo de la Princesa in Old San Juan, with trullas traveling to municipalities including Lajas, Camuy and Juncos, and to the Moca Christmas Festival, Barranquitas, San Germán and Aibonito, running through Epiphany and the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián.