The hit song Despacito and its remix are driving demand for Puerto Rico travel, according to a new report from Hotels.clm.
Since the song launched on April 17, searches for Puerto Rico on Hotels.com’s platforms are up more than 45 percent.
The remix by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber has been a worldwide sensation and includes the famous line “this is how we do it down in Puerto Rico.”
The video is also largely filmed in Puerto Rico and Old San Juan’s La Perla neighborhood.
“Some people consider Puerto Rico America’s 51st state. It’s a popular vacation spot with an international appeal even though Americans don’t need a US Passport to travel there,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. “We know that popular culture has a strong influence on our travel decisions. Puerto Rico is the home of singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and it gets a big shout out in their hit song. Plus, our search data suggests it’s encouraging more people to explore this great destination.”
The data is based on searches made on all the company’s POSa between April 17 and June 17, compared to the same period in 2016.