Discover Puerto Rico: Transforming Perceptions and Engaging LGBTQ+ Travelers for Welcoming and Belonging

Social Impact Framework: Welcoming and Belonging, Engagement with Underrepresented Populations 

What was the issue you were trying to address?

The Caribbean region has long had a reputation as being unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ visitors. We have sought to differentiate Puerto Rico as a welcoming, inclusive destination where LGBTQ+ travelers feel welcome, appreciated, respected and valued. This effort addressed three issues:

• Common LGBTQ+ fears and concerns about feeling welcome in the Caribbean
• Building preference and visitation from thoughtful travelers.
• Engagement of the local LGBTQ+ community, as participants in the tourism economy, and supporters of Discover Puerto Rico’s marketing efforts.  

What were the stated objectives of this initiative?

Our objectives were to

1. Position Puerto Rico as a welcoming, inclusive destination.  
2. Elevate Puerto Rico's image as an appealing destination to LGBTQ+ travelers.  
3. Attract high-profile events or promotions that would elevate Puerto Rico's status as the premier meetings destination in the Caribbean. 

What were the specific metrics you used to measure the success of your efforts?

Several metrics were used to measure success, including improved awareness, preference, visitation, event bookings, and positive social media sentiment.

What were the specific outcomes and results of your efforts?

Prior to our marketing efforts, 19% of LGBTQ+ travelers polled thought of Puerto Rico as a safe and welcoming LGBTQ+ destination. Within 2 years, that sentiment rose to 41%.  

There was no baseline spend tracking of LGBTQ+ visitors prior to our efforts. However, we've been able to identify ~$445M in economic impact from LGBTQ+ visitors to our Island – almost $1M/day.

Puerto Rico successfully bid to host the 2023 IGLTA Global Convention, setting records for attendance and engagement. 

What other best practices or key lessons can you share?

There are three best practices we can share from our experience:

1. Engage experts. We work closely with the team at HospitableMe to make sure our efforts reflect or create best practices in the segment, that they engage and support the local LGBTQ+ community, and that they align and complement our mainstream marketing.
2. Engage with the local community. We have invited LGBTQ+ tourism professionals and community leaders to share their perspectives with the DMO on multiple occasions. We’ve worked with the local community to increase our supplier diversity.  
3. And we leveraged the IGLTA Conference to create meaningful visibility and support for local LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations.