“I’ve been doing this for 28 years,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s tourism bureau. “And I can tell you that this is probably the most efficient influencer campaign I’ve ever been a part of. [Hinchcliffe’s] comments weren’t sensitive, appropriate, or in the least bit humorous. But we had an outpouring of positive sentiment and genuine encouragement. Our website traffic increased by about 30 percent that week.”
It wasn’t a surprise that Puerto Rican celebrities quickly spoke out against Hinchcliffe. (The comedian doubled down and did not apologize for the remark.) Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin publicly endorsed Kamala Harris after the rally. But what came out of the hateful screed was something no one could have anticipated: A boost to Puerto Rico’s tourism market.
The backlash to Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke was swift and resounding. When the comedian and podcast host took the stage at Donald Trump’s pre-election rally at Madison Square Garden, he infamously called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” (along with telling several racist jokes aimed at Jews and Blacks). Hinchcliffe’s set was more widely reported than anything Trump said at the rally.
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Coincidentally, Discover Puerto had purchased billboards in Times Square that went up the day after the vitriolic rally. The buy had already been planned for its “Live Boricua” campaign, but the timing was serendipitous. They offered a counterpoint to the disparaging picture Hinccliffe painted of the island. Riding a post-rally outpouring of support, the Discover Puerto team also created a short video called “This Is Puerto Rico,” which showed a montage of the island’s scenic offerings. It was posted across multiple social media outlets, allowing thousands of supporters to share their memories and observations.
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“I can’t say that Tony Hinchcliffe is responsible for surge in visitation,” Dean said. “But, I can say that travelers were not dissuaded in the least by his comments. In fact, people wanted to learn more, and we’ve seen that interest. I’m not going to thank him, but he put us in the headlines and the forefront of people’s minds, which is never a bad thing.”
Hinchcliffe’s comments were minor compared to what the island has endured in recent years. In 2017, a pair of deadly hurricanes — Irma and Maria — caused billions in damage. Three years later, COVID closed off the island to much of the world. But remarkably, tourism has rebounded and is thriving.
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According to numbers from the US National Travel and Tourism Office, Puerto Rico is outpacing all other states in post-pandemic recovery. Visitor spending nationally is up about 8 percent from 2019 levels. Visitor spending in Puerto Rico is up 45 percent. Puerto Rico has recouped the number of overseas visitors faster than any other US state or territory. It has seen an 85 percent increase in overseas visitors since 2019.
The Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan. Discover Puerto Rico
That recovery is being helped by an increase in flights to the island. Earlier this year, Jetblue opened a new hub in San Juan, bringing with it 400 jobs. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s largest airport, is projecting a record 13 million passengers by the end of 2024, surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019.
And in December, US airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day headed to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing both Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Hurricane Maria wiped out the island’s power grid and caused $90 billion in damage and nearly 3,000 deaths, but many hotels that were devastated have been completely renovated or rebuilt. The Ritz Carlton in Isla Verde, which was closed after Maria, will finally reopen in 2025 after a complete overhaul.
Peter Hopgood, president and COO of International Hospitality Enterprises, which oversees five hotels on the island, said hotels are beginning to adapt to the increasing number of travelers who desire boutique lodging. The recently opened Alma San Juan and Parque de las Ciencias cater to travelers looking for unique experiences. Lodging revenue has more than doubled since 2019, reaching $1.6 billion in 2024
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“The traveler coming to Puerto Rico is a discerning traveler,” Hopgood said. “They’re willing to pay a little bit more because they recognize this is not just an all-inclusive, where you spend four days secluded in a hotel. People coming to Puerto Rico want to have a good experience at the hotel but they also want to go out to the rain forest, they want to go to old San Juan, they want to go to the mountains, and the coffee plantations.”
Hopgood said he also noticed more interest in the island after Hinchcliffe’s incendiary set. It seems that when something bad happens to Puerto Rico, it brings an awareness that results in an uptick of good will, and ultimately tourism.
“Prior to Maria, people would say, ‘Where’s Puerto Rico? Is that in Costa Rica?’ Geography isn’t a strong subject for a lot of Americans. When there’s a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, I’ll hear from people asking if Puerto Rico is OK,” Hopgood said. “But after Maria, US travelers had much more knowledge about Puerto Rico. And even though he didn’t intend to do it, Hinchcliffe’s joke only increased awareness of us, and also brought about an incredible amount of good will.”
Christopher Muther can be reached at christopher.muther@globe.com. Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.
After Tony Hinchcliffe joke, Puerto Rico tourism is booming
