Why Puerto Rico is Booming and Opportunities for Growth

Puerto Rico is the perfect combination of resort and city-style vacation. There are many wonderful and beautiful beaches around the world as well as luxury private resorts, but Puerto Rico has a unique hybrid of offering this style of vacation in tandem with city/urban activities and nightlife. We saw how 2024 was a great year of tourism growth both from cruise ships and fliers and we are seeing this trend starting 2025. Puerto Rico is convenient to travel to, as a US territory, and can offer a unique cultural experience while also feeling familiar to US travelers (an area for opportunity is to make it more attractive to international travelers from all economic backgrounds). If you are planning a trip to the island this 2025, here are some reasons why Puerto Rico is an enjoyable destination. The blog will also mention areas for growth for the island which can serve to improve experiences for both locals and travelers.

1) Local Nightlife- El Normandito

If your style is to travel and be a bit uncomfortable with just how local a place is, this bar is the place for you. Located in Santurce, El Normandito is a fun, youthful, casual bar to visit.

2) High-End Nightlife – Pío Pío

Located in Viejo San Juan, it is a restaurant dedicated to small plates, wine, and cocktails. Look how beautiful these plates are:

3) Boats and Beaches – Culebrita Island

One of the top local tourist attractions is going to Culebrita Island. Book a charter boat and spend a beach day there with clear waters, white sand, and natural pools. The boat ride is about 40 to an hour long.

4) Local Beach- Puerto Nuevo

Located in Bad Bunny’s hometown, Vega Baja, Puerto Nuevo is a very popular beach for locals. If you’re planning on going, make sure you arrive early (before 10 am) to get parking. This is a very local beach where reggaetón and salsa are blasted and is an overall fun, authentic beach day in Puerto Rico.

5) Day in Viejo San Juan

Loved by both locals and tourists, Viejo San Juan is a historic gem full of great shopping, food, museums, historic buildings, and more. During the holiday season, almost every weekend there’s live music in one of its plazas. The third weekend of January is also the San Sebastián Festival, a very culturally rich activity with artists, artisans, music, and fun nightlife.

6) Variety of Food- Criollo, Thai, Pizza, Sushi…

Our food selection of both authentic cuisines from Puerto Rico and international ones continues to grow! These are some spectacular places:

Mai Pen Rai, Santurce
Bangkok and Bombay, Santurce
Verde Mesa, Viejo San Juan
La Lanterna, Viejo San Juan
Yoko, Santurce
Ujeong Korean BBQ, Santurce
Fidela, Santurce
Casita Miramar, Miramar

Opportunities for Puerto Rico

Multipurpose/Recreational Areas made from repurposing abandoned urban sites

An example of this is Lawn on D in Boston, which opens during the summer and is an area for games, food, drinks, and overall socializing. Puerto Rico has many abandoned areas that can be refashioned into spaces for the public.

Small shuttle buses in favor of big buses

While it is obvious we are a car economy, there is always room for improvement in public transportation. These big buses truly have no place for such a small area and small demand. What we can improve is offering smaller shuttle buses between popular local and tourist areas in the metro area.

Parking

Shuttle buses to key areas can help transfer people from outside a region into one, for example, like Viejo San Juan. But overall, the metro area has a huge problem with parking. Cars are only getting larger and parking availability is scarce. This can be another opportunity to repurpose, strategically, abandoned sites into lots and connect the lots to popular destinations with shuttles.

Central Bus station for tourism outside the metro area

It is crazy we still do not have a localized central area that privately owned bus companies can offer transport to different and popular spots of the island. It can also be a central point for Uber pickup for smaller groups or individuals looking for a more private experience.

Signage and power

While they sustained a lot of damage because of Hurricane María, signage, and light need to improve when driving. It is time the metro area invested in making driving within the metro area a better experience.

Power overall

It is no secret Puerto Rico has significant issues with sustaining our power grid. This needs to be top priority so locals and travelers have seamless experiences living and visiting Puerto Rico.

Connecting flights to Europe

While this past year has seen Puerto Rico open new flights, they are mostly limited to other Caribbean islands. Puerto Rico needs to open up to the rest of the world, not just via cruise ships. Capacity for flights can be studied to countries like Italy, Germany, and Great Britain.

Airport Improvements

The seats inside can be revamped to more comfortable ones so travelers can have a better experience while waiting for their flights. It can also offer more stations to charge phones and electronic devices.

¡Salud y Éxito!

Daniela Barquet

Daniela Barquet is the 4th generation owner of her family's jewelry store located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico since 1965. The business tradition was started by her great-grandfather, Issac Barquet, in 1920. Daniela graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's in the History of Art and Architecture and a Minor in Italian Studies. Daniela continues to grow under the mentorship of her father, Natalio Barquet Perez, who is a renowned, certified jeweler in Puerto Rico.