Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Apple Cash: How to use it to send and receive moneyHow to Reduce Food Waste: 16 Smart and Easy Tips
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The incidents at the bathhouses in Zhengzhou have raised concerns about the safety and ventilation systems in such establishments. It is crucial for businesses that use gas-powered appliances to regularly inspect and maintain their equipment to prevent the leakage of carbon monoxide. Adequate ventilation is also essential to ensure the proper dispersal of any potentially harmful gases."It's not just about individual talent," Gobert remarked. "It's about how we come together as a team, how we support each other, and how we learn from each other. Our shared experiences on and off the court have brought us closer together and made us stronger as a unit."
The Predators continue their road trip against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday at 8 p.m. You can watch the game for free on NewsChannel 5 on the simulcast of the Fan Duel Sports Network broadcast feed. It’s a critical Central Division matchup as both teams try to recover from slower than expected starts to the season. The Preds have suffered through a long December losing streak and currently sit at the bottom of the NHL’s point standings. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic provides Nashville’s keys to the game to get a much-needed win against the Avs while dealing with the altitude in Denver. Saturday’s coverage begins with Predators Pursuit of Glory hosted by myself and Jon Burton at 7 p.m., followed by Predators LIVE from Denver leading up to puck drop. Get NewsChannel 5 Now , wherever, whenever, always free.
As fans eagerly await further developments in Yao Ming's Hall of Fame journey, it is clear that his legacy transcends basketball and reaches far beyond the court. Whether he is inducted in the next nomination cycle or in the years to come, one thing remains certain: Yao Ming's impact on the game and the world of sports will be celebrated for generations to come. And when that moment arrives, it will be a testament to not only his incredible talent but also his integrity and humility as a true basketball legend.
Article content At US$765 million over 15 years, Juan Soto owns the richest contract in professional sport history. It’s a work of art that accelerates from $51 million to $55 million per year, and $805 million overall if the club wants to avoid his opt-out in 2029. He will earn an otherworldly $6,000 per hour over the contract’s 15-year term. Yet as much as the exquisite hitter and newest New York Met is the biggest winner this week in the business of sport, he has plenty of company on the power wagon. The other big winners are the Mets’ brand, owner Steve Cohen, a Mets fan base that has almost always lived in the shadow of the New York Yankees, and super agent Scott Boras. It was also yet another good week for Caitlin Clark, who was named Time magazine’s athlete of the year after more than successfully making the transition from the Iowa Hawkeyes and NCAA women’s basketball to the Indiana Fever and the WNBA. She has re-engineered the financial upside of women’s sport, making more than $10 million in her rookie year. In this era of polarized politics south of the border, she has also inadvertently become the poster child for white privilege. Meanwhile, the NFL will have itself a big Week 15. Two of the best matchups will be played at the same time on Sunday when the 12-1 Detroit Lions meet the 10-3 Buffalo Bills, while the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles take on the 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. It marks the first time in 40 years that the NFL has staged two games that each featured two teams with 10 or more wins going into Week 15. Also sharing the spotlight in the winner’s circle this week is Saudi Arabia, which was named host of the FIFA 2034 World Cup. That World Cup will be the third in four cycles that are hosted at least in part by Arabic countries, with Qatar 2022 ushering in Spain-Portugal-Morocco in 2030 and Saudi Arabia four years later (with the U.S., Mexico and Canada co-hosting in 2026). The trajectory that FIFA is charting is paired with the rise of Emirates Airlines as one of the most prominent corporate sponsors in sport, with holdings in tennis and basketball. That doesn’t include the massive amounts of money invested in LIV golf by the Saudi Sovereign Fund. If the New York Stock Exchange traded exclusively in football, it would reflect a dreary economic recession — if not outright depression — for fans of the 2-11 New York Football Giants of the NFC and the 3-10 New York Jets of the AFC. The two teams have lost 21 of the 26 games they’ve played this season, causing considerable angst among New York fans and sport commentators. It’s yet another reminder that big market size doesn’t always buy you a winning team. The Jets this week became the first NFL team to be eliminated from this year’s playoffs. What’s more? They have struggled through nine consecutive losing seasons and 14 years out of the playoffs — the longest active drought in the big four North American men’s sports leagues. Take a bite out of that Big Apple.