Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce Brings Together More Than 50 Tourism Leaders to Establish Industry Priorities

The PRCC Tourism Committee lays the groundwork for a Memorandum of Understanding with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and Discover Puerto Rico.

Carolina, Puerto Rico – September 28, 2026 – In connection with the recent celebration of World Tourism Day, the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce (PRCC) held the first strategic meeting of its Tourism Committee at VIVO Beach Club in Isla Verde. The meeting brought together more than 50 industry leaders to develop a multisectoral short-, medium-, and long-term action plan.

“The Tourism Committee will serve as the voice of the private sector before the government and as a vehicle to transform the needs and concerns of our business community into concrete proposals and actions. It will also support global platforms such as FITUR 2027, where Puerto Rico will be the Partner Country,” said José Julio Aparicio, president of the PRCC.

Led by Mickey Espada, chairman of the Tourism Committee and president-elect of the PRCC, the meeting convened hoteliers, developers, experience providers, gastronomy professionals, educators, and municipal representatives. The discussions will lay the groundwork for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the PRCC, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), and Discover Puerto Rico, aimed at strengthening public-private collaboration. Clarisa Jiménez Mayoral, president and CEO of the PRHTA, will co-chair the Committee alongside Espada.

Strategic priorities identified:

• Competitiveness and hotel development: Address structural challenges related to infrastructure, permitting, and operating costs to expand the Island’s hotel room inventory, with the participation of leaders such as Raúl Bustamante (PRHTA / Discover Puerto Rico), Yodil Cabán (DoubleTree), and Joval Rodríguez (Interlink).
• Visitor experience and infrastructure: Enhance visitors’ first impression of the destination, beginning at air and maritime terminals, while improving the appearance of key corridors such as Baldorioty de Castro Avenue and capitalizing on the projected impact of the San Juan Cruise Port.
• Connecting visitors with experiences: Develop effective tools to communicate Puerto Rico’s cultural, events, and adventure offerings to visitors, as proposed by business leaders such as Matías Fernández (VIVO Beach Club), Jorge Jorge (Toro Verde), and Alejandro Díaz (Carabalí).
• Decentralization and workforce development: Strengthen tourism routes throughout Puerto Rico’s municipalities to increase the geographic distribution of visitor spending and reinstate ongoing workforce training programs in collaboration with academic institutions.

“For too long, we have worked at separate tables. Today, we begin building one table for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry,” said Mickey Espada.

Media Contact:

Karen Garnik, APR, Fellow PRSA
787.502.2424, karen@globalvisioncomms.com

Isadora Hernández
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Brenda Vázquez
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