For years, international arrivals to Puerto Rico were largely nonexistent. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of arrivals to San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin Airport were from the mainland United States. 

In the last few years, though, as Puerto Rico tourism has continued to surge, the island has managed to cultivate a new niche of international travelers, a trend that saw significant growth this year. 

Passenger traffic in San Juan was 12.197 million in 2023, according to data from ASUR, which manages the island’s primary air hub. 

But that included 1.27 international passengers handled – a nearly 41 percent jump compared to last year. 

It’s the product of years of work by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, and the result of new and expanded routes on carriers like Colombia’s Avianca, Spain’s Iberia and continued growth by luxury carrier Tradewind Aviation, which operates routes around the Caribbean out of San Juan, including a new route to the island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.

Overall, passenger traffic in San Juan rose by 18.3 percent in 2023, up from 10.3 million in 2022.