olf courses and glitzy casinos;luminescent bays and livelysalsa bands; coffee farms,caves and coral reefs...All these and more await vis-itors in the U.S. Common-

wealth of Puerto Rico, home to four millionfriendly people. Even with the economy hurting as it isand vacationers watching their budgets, theisland of Puerto Rico, just 1,000 miles east-southeast of Miami, Fl., continues to be afavorite destination for U.S. travelers. Unlike nearly all other destinations thesedays, no passport is required for U.S. citizens.Nor is it necessary to change money; theU.S. dollar is still king here. And Puerto Rico'saccessibility by air is the best in the Carib-bean, offering nonstop flights from New York,Miami, Los Angeles and more than a dozenother U.S. and Canadian cities. With occupancy rates down sharplyacross the region, tourists coming to PuertoRico will find incredible bargains, from rusticmountain paradores to the five-star luxurypalaces of Isla Verde. Three times the size of Rhode Island,Puerto Rico encompasses 78 municipalities,

from Cabo Rojo and Mayagüez in the westto Fajardo and Vieques in the east. Thosenative to the island are U.S. citizens andspeak both Spanish and English. Puerto Rico embraces all visitors with itsendless white-sand beaches and vibrantnightlife. There's no time to be bored inmetropolitan San Juan, which has over 1.5million inhabitants and some of the bestrestaurants under the U.S. flag. Vieques, an island just off the southeasternshore of Puerto Rico, was named "Best Islandin the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas"by Travel & Leisure magazine in 2008. "Puerto Rico is truly a complete destinationwith endless opportunities for tourists tohave a variety of world experiences all onthe same island, and this is where our realcompetitive advantage lies," according toJáime López, executive director of the PuertoRico Tourism Co. (PRTC). "The reality is that you can leave New Yorkat 7 a.m. and by noon be laying on a beachin San Juan. This triad of having a geograph-ic, social and political advantage is somethingwe can build on in order to further positionourselves in the future tourism market,"explains López.

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Puerto Rico is amosaic of cultures

and images that alwaysholds a surprise around

every corner

Luis Fortuño,Governor of Puerto Rico

It’s all here!

ithin Puerto Rico's variedlandscape and history,four specific regions standout for their flavor, per-sonality and unique set ofattractions. Porta del Sol, stretching

along the island's west coast, is home to someof the world's best white-sand beaches and surfingareas. Those seeking the perfect wave flock toRincón; some of the most famous beaches areLas Marías, Tres Palmas and Domes, which arelocated along the Sunset Coast, where wavescan reach 25 feet or more. Other activities for which Porta del Sol is knowninclude biking, bird watching, diving, fishing andhiking. The town of Isabela, along Puerto Rico'snorthern coast, is an ideal spot for horseback riding, The region boasts its own international airportat Aguadilla, at Puerto Rico's northwestern corner.JetBlue offers two direct flights to Aguadilla fromNew York JFK - only a three-hour flight - and onefrom Orlando, while Continental flies to Aguadilladaily from Newark. In addition, Spirit serves theairport from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Puerto Rico's central mountains contain boththe island's highest peak - 4,398-foot-high Cerrode Punta - and the Caribbean's most famousrainforest, El Yunque. This 28,000-acre nationalforest contains waterfalls, swimming holes, obser-vation towers and at least 240 different types oftrees, all less than an hour's drive from San Juan. El Yunque, in fact, has been shortlisted among77 international nature locations to participate inthe New Seven Wonders of Nature worldwidecampaign. Home to Puerto Rico's indigenousTaíno culture, the mountains conjure up imagesof twisting panoramic highways and coffee plan-tations. Towns with colorful names like Aibonito,Jayuya, Naranjito and Utuado are famous for theirnatural beauty and welcoming paradores, orcountry inns. Along the south coast is Porta Caribe,including historic Guánica - whereU.S. troops landed in 1898,sparking the Spanish-American War- and Juana Díaz, home to one of

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the largest commercial mango plantations inthe Caribbean. Thirteen other towns and cities in this pictur-esque region are waiting to be visited and explored.The most important among them is Ponce, PuertoRico's second-largest city and home to theCaribbean's best art museum. Known as “La Perla del Sur” (Pearl of theSouth), Ponce was founded in 1692 and owedits early prosperity to coffee and sugar. In one ofthe island's most ambitious preservation projects,the historic downtown of Ponce has been com-pletely renovated, with phone lines and electriccables hidden underground and elegant mansionsrestored to their 19th-century grandeur. Getting to Porta Caribe has never been easier,thanks to Ponce's newly renovated La MerceditaAirport. Ponce also hopes to become a majoreconomic center. To that end, the city's Puertode las Américas is being transformed into acontainer and cruise-ship megaport. Puerto Rico's eastern region boasts some ofthe island's fanciest resorts, including the Wynd-ham Rio Mar, Four Points by Sheraton at Palmasdel Mar, and the El Conquistador Resort & GoldenSpa in Fajardo. The area has six golf courses,five marinas, four regional airports, three five-starhotels and - most importantly - two spectacularlybeautiful offshore islands. Marketed as the “Spanish Virgin Islands,”Vieques and Culebra are reachable by bothair and ferry. Vieques is famous for its shimmeringBioluminescent Bay, which containsup to 160,000 dinoflagellates perliter of water. And tiny Culebra,home to only 3,000 people, is a

snorkeler's paradise; itsFlamenco Beach is

considered one ofthe most beautiful

in the world.

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An island that speaksthe language of

meetings 

complete with 503 rooms and 35,000 squarefeet of flexible meeting space. It's part of plansto create a new hotel zone within the 113-acre development that will eventually includea 250-room Marriott Courtyard and anotherStarwood property, the 252-room Aloft PuertoRico Convention Center Hotel. Late last year, the Puerto Rico ConventionBureau (PRCB) became the new strategicpartner of two groups, the American Societyof Association Executives and The Center forAssociation Leadership. ASAE comprises morethan 24,000 executives representing 11,000organizations in the United States and 50 othercountries. The Center for Association Leader-ship provides learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association profession. As a strategic partner, PRCB will beawarded extensive overall promotional rightsand benefits, unique exposure at signatureevents and exclusive access to ASAE & TheCenter members. In order to secure even more citywidegroups for the new convention center, thePRCB - in conjunction with the PuertoRico Hotel & Tourism Associationand 30 member hotels -recently introduced a new offerto help meeting plannersconcerned with attrition pen-alties in the current financialslowdown. The booking window for theSmooth Attrition program runs be-tween now and Nov. 30, 2009 for groupsarriving between now and Dec. 31, 2010.Planners who sign a contract before Nov. 30get discounts of 20% to 50% on room, golf,food and beverages should group attritionbecome a concern. "We want meeting planners toknow that we're committed toworking with them in theseeconomic times," said RamónSánchez, executive vice-president of the PRCB."The Smooth Attritionprogram allows plan-ners to concentrate onhosting a great meeting inPuerto Rico without sleeplessnights worrying about attendance."

uerto Rico's sparkling newconvention center is the largestin the Caribbean and the mosttechnologically advanced inLatin America. Inaugurated in 2005, thePuerto Rico Convention Center

(PRCC) - located in Isla Grande, a short drivefrom the tourist districts of Miramar, Condadoand Old San Juan - offers 580,000 square feetof total space and can accommodate groups ofup to 10,000 people. Since its opening, the convention center hashosted over a million visitors attending more than1,100 events. The PRCC is booked well inadvance, with many important groups such asthe Certified Public Accountants Association andthe International Union of Pure and AppliedChemistry. Both plan conventions here in 2011.

"Attracting events to Puerto Rico is a criticalaspect to our agenda and strategy for the island,"says PRTC's Executive Director, Jaime López."We want to become a destination known forhosting big events. We've seen some greatexamples during the first three months of thisyear with the PGA Tour, the World BaseballClassic and Saborea. We can also offer visitorsa great tourism product outside of the actualevents themselves." By year's end, a $209 million Sheraton hotelfacility will open on the grounds of the PRCC,

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rom the balconies and rooftopsof Calle Tetuán in Old San Juan,one can easily spot half a dozencruise ships docked simulta-neously. No wonder - San Juanis the busiest ocean terminal in

the Caribbean. Last year, Puerto Rico welcomed 1.52 millioncruise-ship visitors arriving on more than 700vessels. That's an 8.9% jump in passengertraffic over 2007 figures, and the biggest increasein 20 years. Cruise ships entering San Juan Bay affordtheir passengers stunning views of El Morro,the San Juan skyline and mountains on thehorizon. The Old City itself - a crowded seven-square-block area rich in history and Spanisharchitecture - offers one of the Caribbean'shighest concentrations of art galleries, finerestaurants, quality souvenir shops and name-brand outlets. Among the Old City's charms: Parque lasPalomas, home to thousands of pigeons anda favorite spot for photos of the bay; La For-taleza, the oldest governor's mansion on U.S.soil, and the imposing El Morro fortress, whichdates back to 1539 and is probably the single-most photographed structure in the Caribbean.

All these varied attractions have helpedconvince more and more cruise lines to "home-port" their vessels in San Juan. And since cruisesgenerally stay in port until late at night, theirpassengers get a chance to hit the Old City'snightspots - which range from salsa pubs to theHard Rock Café. Among vessels docking at the Port of SanJuan this year: Carnival's Splendor, CelebrityCruises' Solstice, Royal Caribbean's Independ-ence of the Seas, Holland America's Statendam,Carnival's Pride and P&O Cruises' Artemis andthe Norwegian Spirit. Nevertheless, Puerto Rico is a lot more thana simple transit point for cruisers to start theirvacations. San Juan can accommodate travelersfor a two-day to a one-week stay, either prior totheir ships' departure or upon arrival at the docks.Puerto Rico's relatively small size and its numer-ous hotels and attractions make it an idealsecond holiday experience, in addition to thecruise itself. Thanks to its extensive air network from theU.S. mainland, tourists can easily fly in, shopand explore San Juan before departing for otherCaribbean destinations, eliminating the two-daysail from Miami or other Florida cruise ports. Starting Nov. 7, Virgin Atlantic will offer directflights between London Gatwick and San Juan,providing a further boost by letting British touristsuse Puerto Rico as a base to start theircruise holiday.

Beyond thestriking beauty of thePuerto Rican shores,immerse yourself in a

dazzling journey

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5

t's not how you play thegame," Donald Trump oncesaid, "but where." With that in mind, if youlike golf, you'll love PuertoRico - the golfing paradise ofthe Caribbean.

With 23 golf-courses to choose from,and six more on the way, Puerto Rico is nowputting the emphasis on luxury. From theAtlantic to the Caribbean, Puerto Rico offersgolfers truly breathtaking scenery, includinga course overlooking the El Yunque rainforest. The 700-villa Trump International GolfClub and Residences in Rio Grande sits on1,000 acres along the island's north coast.Designed by PGA professional Tom Kite, themammoth $600 million project features two18-hole championship courses that windthrough lush tree groves and over waterwaysand lakes. There's also a 46,000-square-footclubhouse, two putting greens and on-coursefood and beverage services. Right next door sits the Gran Meliá PuertoRico Golf Resort and Villas, a 486-suite hotelthat was recently upgraded. Nearby is theBahia Beach golf course, designed by RobertTrent Jones and opened in 2007 by St. RegisHotels & Resorts. As if that's not enough, a 369-room JWMarriott is supposed to open in early 2011next to the Trump property.

It's all part of our efforts to attract increas-ingly affluent visitors to Puerto Rico, saidPRTC's Executive Director, Jaime López."We believe we have a true competitive ad-vantage in offering the traveler the best prop-osition in terms of value for money and theexperience itself." Along Puerto Rico's southeastern coastat Palmas del Mar, two hotel chains - MandarinOriental Hotel Group and Regent Hotels &Resorts - will open five-star hotels in 2011.Not far away in Guayama, golf pro Chi ChiRodríguez has a course at El Legado, hisown private 200-villa resort. Luxurious new golf resorts are sproutingup elsewhere around the island. The Fairmontat Cerromar, the Ritz-Carlton in Dorado andthe Hilton in Ponce are all investing in golf,while Puerto Rico's largest hotel, the 750-room El Conquistador near Fajardo, plans toexpand its offerings by adding a nine-holecourse to the existing 18-hole course designedby Arthur Hills. Such luxurious golfing experiences wouldnot be complete without total-care spa serv-ices. Puerto Rico's spa treatments are avail-able at a number of freestanding boutiquesand resorts; these includes massage andtreatment rooms, oversized jacuzzis, beautysalons, juice bars, manicures, pedicures andaromatherapy. High-end spas go hand-in-hand with high-end shopping, and many chicbrands - from Cartier to LouisVuitton - are sold in prestigiousshops along Ashford Avenuein San Juan's Condado touristdistrict. At the other end of theisland is the 22-roomHorned Dorset Primavera inRincón, on the island's westcoast. While this $350-a-night boutique hotel doesn'thave its own golf course, staffwill be happy to arrange a tripto Dorado - 90 minutes away bycar, or if you just can't wait, 20 minutesby helicopter.

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espite its beautiful beaches,there's more to do in PuertoRico than lay in the sun. Finedining and romance are also akey part of the island's uniqueappeal.

Within its 3,514 square miles, Puerto Ricohas an unusually high density of restaurants,thanks to cooking methods that lend their ownexotic flavors to local cuisine. This gastronomicfeast includes everything from lechón asao(roast suckling pig) to mofongo (a hearty, typical

Puerto Rican plantain dish). There's alsoasopao (a gumbo-type soup made with riceand chicken) as well as arroz con gandules(rice and pigeon peas made with ham, pork,chorizo, red peppers and olives). No visit to Old San Juan is complete withouta meal at La Bombonera, a traditional restau-rant and pastry shop with a 1950s feel to it.

But for real history, try La Mallorquina - foundedin 1848 and the oldest restaurant in PuertoRico and quite possibly the entire Caribbean.This Old San Juan eatery is legendary for itsbow-tied waiters and authentic asopao andarroz con pollo. Good eating goes hand-in-hand with gooddrinking, and Puerto Rico is famous for thequality of its rums. A producer of sugar - andconsequently, rum - almost from the momentChristopher Columbus set foot on the islandin 1493, Puerto Rico is today the home of DonQ, Bacardi, Barrilito and many other fine rumbrands, noted for their light body and smoothflavor. And one of the most famous cocktailsof all time is the delicious piña colada - inventedby a San Juan bartender in 1954, and since1978 the official beverage of Puerto Rico. Thanks partially to its gastronomic delights,but also its perennial sunshine, Puerto Rico isthe destination of choice for a growing numberof weddings and honeymoons. In 2007, Amer-icans spent $50 billion on weddings alone,with 180 guests invited to the average wedding. And virtually everyone who gets marriedgoes on a honeymoon, which translatesinto a $12 billion-a-year industry in the UnitedStates. Since 34% of American honeymoonstake place in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico -currently with a 3.8% slice of the U.S. weddingmarket - seeks to position itself as theCaribbean's top wedding destination. It's doingthis by capitalizing on the island's weather,natural beauty and - for U.S. citizens atleast - easy accessibility without the needfor passports.

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