Puerto Rico Sees an Economic Fix in Tourism

Puerto Rico isn’t looking only to wealthy, tax-averse Americans for growth—tourism is also high on the list of ideas for boosting the economy. The U.S. territory wants to boost tourism’s share of gross domestic product to 8 percent from 6 percent over the next three years, an increase of $1.2 billion. Parts of the plan include adding more than 5,000 new hotel rooms by 2017, luring new flights, and developing two new ports for cruise lines to visit.

“If you want quick impact to the economy, tourism is where it’s at,” said Ingrid Rivera, executive director of Puerto Rico Tourism, the island’s official tourist agency. “We are small but we are potent.”