Puerto Rico Airports Post Record Visitor Arrivals

Puerto Rico’s strong first-half 2023 tourism performance extended beyond Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s chief port of entry, said Discover Puerto Rico (DPR) officials, as key regional airports in the Aguadilla and Ponce districts also posted record visitor arrivals.

More than 177,000 passengers arrived at Aguadilla’s Rafael Hernández Airport, an 11 percent increase over the previous year-to-date high achieved in 2019, DPR officials said in a June 29 statement, citing data from the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.

Meanwhile, Ponce’s Mercedita International Airport reported over 58,000 arrivals through May, a 38 percent increase over previous year-to-date record posted in 2017. In all, Puerto Rico airports reported 2.7 million arrivals through the end of May 2023.

DPR officials are predicting continued growth for Puerto Rico’s visitor arrivals. “The remainder of the calendar year will continue to set visitation records,” said DPR, as data from research firm ForwardKeys shows third quarter 2023 non-resident airline ticket purchases “are 21 percent higher than a year ago.”

Additionally, the fourth quarter features “10 percent more air reservations than at the same point a year ago,” DPR said.

Puerto Rico’s climbing arrivals have conversely been accompanied by increasingly lower hotel bookings, DPR officials said. Although year-over-year hotel demand is up 11 percent from in 2022 and the island’s hotels are booking four percent higher in the third quarter of 2023, bookings are 19 percent lower for the fourth quarter.

The softening hotel bookings “could be a reflection of record-high rates,” said DPR officials. Through May, Puerto Rico’s hotel average daily rate (ADR) was $318, seven percent over 2022 and more than 33 percent higher than the same period in 2019, according to DPR.