By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico is seeing a surge in travel demand, according to numbers provided to Caribbean Journal by Expedia Group.

Demand from both within the United States and abroad is up considerably, the travel giant said.

That included a 63 percent year-over-year increase in demand for U.S. travelers for Puerto Rico, along with a 60 percent increase in demand for Puerto Rico fro international travelers, as compared to the first half of 2018.

The average booking window for Puerto Rico trips was 34 days, while the average length of stay was two days — reinforcing Puerto Rico’s strong positioning one of the Caribbean’s top weekend getaway destination.

Expedia said the hip Condado neighborhood of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, was the top in-demand market, followed by Isla Verde, Old San Juan, Ponce and the luxury beach destination of Dorado.

Expedia released the numbers on the heels of Puerto Rico’s Annual Conference on Tourism.

“Expedia Group’s platform will continue to offer different tools and solutions to help travel partners to drive incremental revenue and acquire new customers. At the same time, we will continue to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders within the local travel industry, to attract more travelers to this wonderful Caribbean destination”, said Miriam Hernandez, Director of Market Management for Expedia Group in the Caribbean.

The data compares favorably with reports of strong air traffic increases at San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

Puerto Rico Tourism Company officials could not be reached for comment.

— CJ