By Rio Yamat and D. Nica Coto
Puerto Rico’s VEGA BAJA (AP) Tourists smiled as they posed for pictures wearing the superstar’s former attire, wearing red polyester vests that they had borrowed from the Puerto Rico grocery where Bad Bunnyonce worked.
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They paid close attention as his ex-boss talked about how much he enjoyed old salsa tunes. According to Delza V. Lez, the head of human resources at Econo, the supermarket, he always enjoyed gathering the shopping carts in the parking lot since he seemed to feel free and would sing there.
Benito Antonio Mart nez Ocasio left V lez a note when he resigned from that position in 2016. After releasing his debut album two years later, Bad Bunny, the singer, became a household name.
Thousands of people traveled to Puerto Rico this summer, where the singer’s performance residency in San Juan, which runs from mid-June to mid-September, has significantly strengthened the island’s already precarious economy. By singing about Puerto Rico’s identity and struggles, the talented son has raised the U.S. territory’s prominence internationally.
Tourists come to explore his island as well as to see him. To get a ticket for the reggaet n singer and rapper, who is one of the most streamed artists in the world, thousands have waited online for hours or in line for days.
Eddie Villanueva and his son flew from Switzerland for a $5,000 Bad Bunny experience, which included $40 tickets for a tour to the show’s homeland of Vega Baja.
Happy. Amazing, remarked 23-year-old Villanueva.
According to Discover Puerto Rico, an agency that promotes the island, nearly three dozen hotels are taking part in Bad Bunny packages that include the event and have brought in close to $200 million.
At a time when hotel visits are declining in anticipation of the Atlantic hurricane season’s peak, more than 48,000 nights have been reserved. In a single day, 25,000 packages were sold, according to the concert organizers.
On July 27, there were 10% more hotel reservations than on the same day the previous year. Compared to last August, short-term rentals have increased 42% this month and 61% for September. The performance is anticipated to draw over 600,000 people, with concert tickets costing hundreds of dollars each.
The aviation analytics firm Cirium reports that between July and September, about 7% more flights were scheduled from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico’s principal international airport than during the same time last year.
The boost comes as Puerto Rico promoters put more of an emphasis on the island’s culture than its beaches.
Although they are beaches, we may argue that they are the most beautiful. The culture is what sets us apart. Ricardo Cort án Chico, a Discover Puerto Rico official, stated that no one could steal that.
Tourists travel to Bad Bunny’s hometown to see his old high school, the grocery store where he worked, and even the church where he was an altar boy.
The Villanuevas recently stood in front of a painting of the Bad Bunny on an agricultural supply store that offers fighting cock feed and horse trappings. They purchased two caps with the words PR for Puerto Rico for $20, which made the cashier smile broadly.
I should have biked more, a pun on Bad Bunny’s most recent album, Deb Tirar M’s Fotos, which translates to “I should have taken more photos,” is a $25 guided bike tour offered by G8, a nonprofit organization that aids underprivileged neighborhoods in the capital city of San Juan.
Acci n Valerosa, another nonprofit, collaborated with Los Pleneros de la Cresta, a band that performs at Bad Bunny’s shows, to produce the Caf with Ron tour, which was named after one of his songs.
They take visitors to Ciales, a town that produces coffee and is tucked away in the middle mountains. The proceeds from the trip, which includes a session on Puerto Rican traditional music, will go toward transforming a former casino into a community center.
Some college students are even profiting from Bad Bunny.
Julietta Dasilva, a longtime admirer, is traveling from Denver to attend the concert on August 29. Instead of taking one of the commercial tours, she claimed to have reserved a $45 tour guided by a local student.
She said, “I want to do it right.”
In Puerto Rico, traditional tourism included a splash at a neighboring beach, a visit to Old San Juan, and a stroll through the tropical forest of El Yunque. In order to see more of the island, concertgoers are now traveling to remote communities like Cabo Rojo, which is Puerto Rico’s southernmost point.
Many of our sites are now well-known because of Bad Bunny, according to Ngel Rodriguez, owner of the Boquemar hotel in Cabo Rojo.
According to Rodriguez, the hotel next to a well-known pier that was featured in a Bad Bunny video and was emblazoned with the flag of Puerto Rico has witnessed a 7% increase in business this summer.
He has also been asked by tourists where they can view the Puerto Rican crested toad, which is the only native species of toad on the island and was featured in a video for Bad Bunny’s most recent album. According to Rodriguez, he had to let them down because the monster is difficult to notice.
According to Heidy Crespo, who conducts tours to the hometown of the Bad Bunny, scores of people have signed up, and officials have reported that they have made about $1,000.
She remarked, “I never imagined people would want to see where he worked.” However, I adore it. I enjoy watching people’s eyes light up.
In early August, Vicky Galvez and two pals took a plane from Las Vegas to San Juan for the first set of concerts that were open to fans from beyond the island. The 39-year-old hairstylist said she was happy with the approximately $2,450 she paid and that the trip was much more than just a music event.
Galvez and her pals noticed lineups outside restaurants that Bad Bunny popularized and paintings of the singer all over town. They dined at the welcoming, family-run La Casita Blanca, where she thought the two-hour wait was worthwhile in order to help the eatery.
Their server informed them that ever since Bad Bunny was spotted dining there, everything has gone completely haywire. Galvez stated, “It was fantastic that I shopped locally.”
Wilson Santiago Burgos, the creator of the tourism website Mochileando, stated that because the musician has harshly criticized the island’s two major political parties, he had doubted the government would board the Bad Bunny train.
However, the reverse took place. Small businesses started selling clothing and other handcrafted items that tourists wanted, tours were established, and food and beverages were named after Bad Bunny songs.
According to Santiago Burgos, people are beginning to consume and produce just Puerto Rican goods.
He went on to say that the message is appealing. “This is the homeland that I love, and I invite you to get to know it,” Bad Bunny says to visitors.
From Las Vegas, Yamat provided a report.
