Discover Puerto Rico’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funds Investment Strategy- THIS WEEK!
Discover Puerto Rico’s ARP webinar will be held on Thursday, November 4 from 1:30-3pm. The investment of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds will be applied to programs and initiatives keenly designed to achieve strategic objectives formulated to stabilize the Island’s economy through tourism and drive visitor-powered employment and revenue to new records, laying the foundation for yet another amazing success story. Join Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi along with Roger Dow, President and CEO of U.S. Travel, and Brad Dean, CEO, Discover Puerto Rico, as they address this historic moment for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry. Discover Puerto Rico’s CMO, Leah Chandler, will follow with the DMO’s approach to the strategic investment of ARP funds and the opportunities that lie ahead. To register, use this link
Small Business Saturday Activation
Discover Puerto Rico reaffirms its commitment to small businesses on the Island, bringing this program back in 2021. “Small Business, Big Stories,” will launch soon on DiscoverPuertoRico.com, along with a robust earned media effort, highlighting locally made products sold through Brands of Puerto Rico. We will also share local businesses and their stories on Discover Puerto Rico’s social channels leading up to Small Business Saturday.
Brand USA Travel Week
Last week Discover Puerto Rico attended the third edition of Brand USA Travel Week. This in-person event helped reconnect Europe with the U.S. travel industry and allow representatives to meet with European Buyers, providing the opportunity to strengthen business relationships. One-to-one media meetings were also secured for Brad Dean, Chief Executive Officer, and Leah Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer, with leading European outlets including Euronews, ITV, ABTA Magazine, Evening Standard, I news, Mail Luxury, Culture Trip, and Attitude magazine.
The Canadian Meetings + Events Expo
Yolanda Gonzalez, National Sales Director, represented Discover Puerto Rico at The Canadian Meetings + Events Expo. This event is the largest and longest-running tradeshow and conference for meeting and event professionals. With an incredible mix of over 200 companies, the show floor offers on-trend innovations, opportunities to do business, and a chance to connect and build relationships for destinations.
Leisure Sales Efforts
Discover Puerto Rico covered several events in the past weeks. Johanna Gonzalez, Leisure Sales Manager, hosted the American Airlines inaugural in Houston, CCRA’s Power Solutions, and UpClose events in Chicago. Meanwhile, Francisco Blanch, Leisure Sales Director, covered Brand USA’s Travel Week, attending more than 50 appointments with key wholesale accounts and top travel companies from Europe. Also, the DMO participated in ASTA Alabama Chapter Meeting, followed by the Internova EDGE event where we hosted coffee breaks with Puerto Rican coffee and attended the Travel Leaders trade show.
PLEASE ASSIST PUERTO RICO’S TOURISM INDUSTRY BY TAKING THIS SURVEY!
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting that total job openings are at their highest rate since 2000, when the measure began being tracked. But sectors most tied to reopening after COVID-related shut downs – led by leisure and hospitality – have experienced the sharpest increases.
Discover Puerto Rico’s 2021 Economic Impact of Tourism Report showed that tourism jobs in Puerto Rico fell by 29% in 2020. With Puerto Rico’s tourism industry rebounding far quicker than the rest of the U.S., the need to fill leisure & hospitality jobs is even more relevant. Discover Puerto Rico aims to understand perceptions around jobs in leisure and hospitality and how to attract employees to the field. This study will support our marketing efforts by providing us with a comprehensive analysis and deeper understanding of the labor market and its impact on our Industry.
You can assist in these efforts both by completing the survey and distributing it to your employees and network.
The survey is available in both English and Spanish here.
International Weekly Briefing
While paid advertising and the majority of international marketing and sales efforts have been slowed or stopped due to COVID-19, Discover Puerto Rico along with agency partner, Hills Balfour, continues monitoring news and events, and remains committed to pursuing partnerships and opportunities to keep the destination top of mind. To view the International Weekly Briefing, please use this link.
Mainland Earned Media Snapshot
Along with our partners at Ketchum, we continue to monitor media and earned coverage at the local and global level. We have proactively reached out to media outlets to heighten awareness on how the Island is leading the charge in its efforts to grow tourism post-pandemic. To see our Mainland Public Relations Snapshot and earned media coverage highlights obtained last week, click on this link.
Local Earned Media Snapshot
Discover Puerto Rico continues to work with local media outlets to increase awareness and literacy about the DMO among the general public, sharing information about new initiatives and activations taking place to educate consumers about the Island’s updated measures and protocols. To see the local earned media coverage obtained last week, click on this link.
Discover Puerto Rico’s Industry Portal
Stay informed on Discover Puerto Rico’s latest sales and marketing initiatives, earned media efforts, events and more. Designed specifically for the Island’s tourism industry with a focus on transparency, this website provides valuable resources like digital marketing tools, a media vault with high-quality images of the destination, up-to-date research, snapshots of our media coverage and more. The industry portal includes competitively sensitive information and research data, so not all content is open to the public. To access the full site, please register and request an account. While on the portal, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly industry email blasts.
