SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC)’s fourth annual Summer is Easy promotion is outpacing last summer’s bookings. The campaign generated a 6 percent rise in participating partner room night sales in May and a seven percent rise in June —versus the same months in 2015.
Comparatively, bookings through Summer is Easy partner Expedia are currently 9.7 percent above 2015 bookings. The promotion highlights how travel to Puerto Rico has never been easier—no passport is required for U.S. citizens, more than 70 direct flights from the U.S. to Puerto Rico daily—and just how many things there are to do on the island—travelers can choose from beach vacations, rainforest adventures, cultural explorations, and more. This promotion, combined with PRTC’s dedicated efforts to educate travelers about Zika misperceptions and how they can enjoy a worry free vacation in Puerto Rico is clearly paying off.
“We have been working hard to ensure that travelers are educated about the Zika virus and understand that by following the CDC’s simple guidelines, they can have a worry-free experience on the island,” said PRTC Executive Director Ingrid I. Rivera Rocafort. “By providing travelers with the facts and dispelling the misperceptions about Zika on the island, we have been able to show travelers that, unless they are pregnant or planning a family in the near future, the Zika virus is nothing to be afraid of. This early success with the Summer Is Easy campaign suggests that informed travelers are choosing facts over fear and continuing to book Puerto Rico.”
The PRTC has been working closely with the CDC and the local Department of Public Health to stay at the front line of defense against the virus. It is taking every precaution possible, including working with hotels to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, providing education materials about preventing mosquito bites to hotels and guests, and encouraging all travelers to stay informed and prepared.
According to Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA) President and CEO, Clarisa Jiménez, “PRHTA hotels are actively and aggressively spraying the grounds using Department of Health-endorsed mosquito control companies.” Jiménez added that “The PRTC, PRHTA, and partners have taken all the measures that the CDC has recommended from day one to protect anyone who visits our beautiful island.”
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- “By providing travelers with the facts and dispelling the misperceptions about Zika on the island, we have been able to show travelers that, unless they are pregnant or planning a family in the near future, the Zika virus is nothing to be afraid of.
- The campaign generated a 6 percent rise in participating partner room night sales in May and a seven percent rise in June —versus the same months in 2015.
- “We have been working hard to ensure that travelers are educated about the Zika virus and understand that by following the CDC’s simple guidelines, they can have a worry-free experience on the island,”.
