Puerto Rico has gone from disaster to recovery, and now it’s making its comeback. Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s new destination marketing organization (DMO), has officially launched its revamped tourism website, with a user-friendly layout and dynamic content designed to engage visitors. The new site is the first step in the DMO’s brand repositioning process that will aid Puerto Rico in fully capitalizing on its tourism product offerings. Throughout every step of the process of building its brand and the site, Discover Puerto Rico tapped on-island partners from across the private and public sectors, including key members of Puerto Rico Tourism Company and Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association.
“More than 77,000 people make up the Puerto Rico tourism industry and it is a vital contributor to the Island’s economy,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “Our digital presence is every bit as important as what we have to offer on the ground and it’s critical to create a positive first and lasting impression for the destination.”
The initial launch of the website focuses on needs revealed by a site audit and insights from two digital consumer needs and behaviors studies. Beyond a solid technical foundation (including industry-best practices for improved content display, site security and search optimization), the site now has an intuitive navigation structure with more than 300 pages of multimedia content covering all regions of Puerto Rico (broken down into the North, South, East, West, Central Mountains, Metro, and Culebra & Vieques).
Multiple audiences can navigate through informative articles and listings for thousands of island businesses and diverse points of interest. Visitors to the website can virtually explore where to eat, stay and play, or select targeted categories, such as sports and outdoor activities, history and culture, arts and music, entertainment and events, LGBTQ and shopping, and more.
With regard to travel agents, the site will directly connect them with local businesses and in-depth planning information. However, the site seek to reach multiple audiences, including leisure travelers, meeting planners, wedding groups and more,
The launch of the website is the first of many significant marketing changes Discover Puerto Rico is embarking on to develop Puerto Rico’s brand equity and brand position and lead the way in the tourism industry. Discover Puerto Rico tells Travel Agent it is in the process of working on new marketing materials and a new marketing campaign that will roll out in Q2. The website is the first step in the DMO’s brand repositioning process. With the establishment of Puerto Rico’s first-ever DMO, Puerto Rico has an opportunity to develop its brand equity and maintain a consistent brand position.
“The digital travel landscape is constantly evolving, and we need to evolve with it. We have established a robust content and feature development strategy for the website to adapt to ever-changing traveler needs,” Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico, said. “New articles, videos, an event calendar and additional functionality will be added on a regular basis over the coming months in time for Puerto Rico’s brand re-positioning campaign launching soon.”
Now, the simple question: When to visit? "The holiday season is phenomenal as Puerto Rico has the longest holiday season in the world, culminating in the San Sebastian Festival where the streets of Old San Juan are electrified by locals and visitors dancing in the streets and enjoying the best of our culture," Dean says.
Visit DiscoverPuertoRico.com.
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