Reasons to Visit Puerto Rico in 2021

A host of exciting new openings, conservation efforts, remote-work offers and anniversaries

Puerto Rico is set to be at the top of every traveller’s bucket list this year with a new remote working campaign and hotel offers, the unveiling of the biggest entertainment district in the Caribbean, a new boutique hotel and several virtual experiences for travellers to take inspiration from. The Island’s year-round tropical weather makes it an ideal choice for all seasons, with pristine beaches, rugged mountains and colourful cities to discover.

Discover Puerto Rico’s ‘Work in Full Colour’ campaign launches to attract digital nomads
Having demonstrated the ease of remote working, 2020 saw a rise in people maintaining their professional roles from anywhere in the world. Studies show that dull, grey workspaces detriment mood and productivity levels, whereas clever use of colour can boost innovation and satisfaction at work. Puerto Rico’s vibrant palette makes it a natural choice for digital nomads: since green encourages balance, blue improves performance, red increases energy and orange inspires imagination, the multi-tonal cityscapes, beaches and mountains on the Island will prove advantageous to remote professionals. Several of the Island’s hotels have even launched special offers that encompass everything remote professionals will need.

Puerto Rico is primed to support professionals working remotely. With plenty of co-working spaces, a robust IT infrastructure and networks of tech experts and entrepreneurs, Puerto Rico’s ‘Work in Full Colour’ campaign asks digital nomads: ‘If you can work from anywhere, why work anywhere else?’.

Preferred Hotels to open Palacio Provincial hotel in San Juan in January 2021

The world’s largest independent hotel brand, Preferred Hotels, opened a new boutique hotel in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico this month. The new Palacio Provincial hotel is set in a 19th century building which housed Puerto Rico’s centre of diplomacy for most of its 200-year existence. Meticulously restored with hints of its grand colonial past, Palacio Provincial opened in 2021 to mark 500 years since Old San Juan was founded by Spanish settlers, making it the second oldest European-founded city in the Americas. The grand hotel boasts first-class hospitality, 43 rooms and suites with 12-foot windows, an oasis-style courtyard restaurant and a rooftop pool deck, all within walking distance of the capital’s best restaurants and historical sites.

El Distrito entertainment district opens in San Juan

Puerto Rico’s capital city is set to become an epicentre for entertainment as it welcomes El Distrito in the first quarter of 2021. The 360,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art venue is unlike anything in the Caribbean and combines the best in art, music, technology and hospitality to put Puerto Rico on the global entertainment map. The immersive, multi-sensory space will include a 6,000 capacity music and performance venue; a dedicated radio and television production studio; and a high-tech centrepiece consisting of 14,000 square feet worth of digital screens in a central plaza, including the largest horizontal screens in the Americas.

In addition to an urban zipline experience, El Distrito will welcome the world’s first permanent augmented reality zipline and Puerto Rico’s first 24-hour nightclub, spanning two stories and several outdoor pool areas. Co-working spaces, bars, lounges, a micro-distillery and a high-end fitness studio will all be available, as well as the Caribbean’s first ever ALOFT Hotel by Marriott with 177 loft-like bedrooms. The development is in the heart of San Juan’s metro area, making it an accessible entertainment venue for visitors and locals alike.

Discover Puerto Rico’s ‘Sounds like Puerto Rico’ video series inspires 2021 visits

Designed to inspire future travellers and satisfy wanderlust whilst restrictions are in place, Discover Puerto Rico’s ‘Sounds like Puerto Rico’ series is a five-episode video collection focusing on the ubiquitous sounds of the Island. Each episode enables audiences to experience an element of Puerto Rico virtually: one episode captures the rhythms and movements of reggaetón, a fusion music and dance style that originated on the Island in the 90s, whilst another takes viewers on a road trip up to the Island’s mountains to order coffee like a local. Each episode has an accompanying playlist on Spotify, featuring tracks with an unmistakably Puerto Rican sound to immerse travellers in the destination before they visit. The ‘Sounds like Puerto Rico’ series is the ultimate in sensory inspiration to help travellers plan their 2021 visit.

Protect an endemic species and adopt a Puerto Rican coqui frog

In partnership with local environmental research and conservation organisation, Conservación ConCiencia, Discover Puerto Rico invites everyone to give the gift of nature and Adopt a Coquí, supporting the destination’s vast natural resources. A symbol of Puerto Rico worldwide, the coquí is a species of tree frog endemic to the nature-rich Island, and heartfully named for the sound they make. Pent-up travellers staying safe at home but thinking about their first trip in 2021, can support global conservation while virtually learning and dreaming of a destination filled with natural wonders and more. By visiting DiscoverPuertoRico.com/coquí and making a donation of $25 USD, coquí gift recipients will receive a digital keepsake adoption certificate with their name on it for their contribution to supporting conservation, sustainability, and climate resilience efforts by Conservación ConCiencia.

Puerto Rico celebrates the 500th anniversary of Old San Juan in 2021

Puerto Rico’s colourful capital city San Juan is the second oldest European-founded city in the Americas, with 2021 marking 500 years since  Old San Juan was founded by Spanish settlers. However, visitors can discover much more than cobbled streets brimming with history. Peaceful courtyards and commanding colonial fortresses can be found, such as El Morro and San Cristóbal, part of the San Juan National Historic Site and two of the largest fortifications built by the Spaniards in the Caribbean during the 16th century. In contrast, San Juan is also a cosmopolitan city of wide boulevards, lively cafes, exciting galleries and trendy boutiques. Where the old world now meets the new, San Juan has become a modern world capital.

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