Discover Puerto Rico publishes update on its tourism industry

The rise in vaccination has eased consumer confidence around travel. While this is undoubtedly reflected in the increases in average hotel occupancy in the United States in recent months, the increases are modest compared to the increase in activity in Puerto Rico.
 
Average hotel occupancy in the United States has increased 45% since the beginning of the year, while Puerto Rico's recent performance is 112% higher than in January. This week's Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index research by Destination Analysts shows Americans' anxiety about contracting the virus is at a pandemic low, as are concerns about unsafe travel activities. .

With the improvement in confidence, consumers have not only resumed travel, which has increased hotel occupancy in March and April, but are also making reservations for the remainder of 2021. Both hotel and rental reservations until the end of the fiscal year in June and for the rest of the calendar year are above 2019, the year in which Puerto Rico received more visitors than ever.
 
Hotel and rental bookings currently above the 2019 record pace are being driven by leisure travel as group occupancy at hotels continues to decline as business travel continues to lag. Discover Puerto Rico's data partner Adara reported that there have been more than $ 237 million in hotel reservations since the beginning of the year from consumers exposed to the organization's marketing. This is 145% higher than the $ 96.6 million in hotel reservations by consumers exposed to Discover Puerto Rico advertising during the same period in 2019.

Destination Analysts found that reservations already on the books follow the anticipated travel pattern based on sentiment research conducted April 24-25. It was reported that “71.6% say they will take a vacation or getaway between Memorial Day and Labor Day, almost 10 percentage points more than last month and almost 36 percentage points to beginning in 2020. For all US travelers, the average number of leisure trips taking place this summer is 1.7. Meanwhile, July continues to be the peak month, with more than half of US travelers planning one or more trips in that month. "
 
When evaluating the hotel booking rate year over year for the remainder of the calendar year compared to the state of things during the same period in 2019, the months of May, June and July are the months that are currently being booked significantly faster.

The Destination Analysts report also shows that, “more than 70% of summer travelers plan to leave the state (and one in 10 will travel abroad), so while the car remains the predominant method of transportation, 34.2% will travel abroad by plane ”.
 
This growing willingness of American travelers to get on a plane is reflected in the changes in airline seating capacity over the next six months. Although the seats of national airlines during the previous six months were reduced by 14% compared to the same period two years ago, the current itineraries of the national markets until September have an additional capacity of 20% compared to 2019, a year record of national arrivals.
 
International travel will continue to lag as vaccination rates around the world fall short of those in the United States and other countries. During the previous six months, international seating capacity was down 61% from two years ago. For the next six months, that capacity is still 36% lower than in 2019. Of the international seats available for the next six months, more than 60% are from flights that originate in the Dominican Republic when during the same period it was two years, RD seats accounted for only 38% of international capacity.