The project offers free digital marketing education services to small and medium-sized businesses in the tourism industry.
Discover Puerto Rico recently relaunched its La IDEA educational program, an initiative aimed at empowering tourism-related businesses through free, personalized digital marketing support.
This new phase of the program, running from May to December 2025, offers services focused on enhancing digital presence and introduces workshops on three high-interest topics: artificial intelligence, crisis management, and influencer marketing.
"As businesses strengthen their digital presence, their ability to better serve tourists and contribute to the overall image of our industry improves. This is a project where we all benefit, allowing industry efforts to be better aligned," said Fernando Rodríguez, Chief Financial Officer and Interim CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. The announcement was made during the organization’s recent Industry Update event.
La IDEA, short for Island Digital Education Academy, was created to assist tourism-oriented businesses—such as restaurants, lodging establishments, and tour operators—in strengthening their digital profiles across key platforms like Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Yelp, DiscoverPuertoRico.com, and Apple Maps.
During its first phase, from 2021 to 2023, the program impacted more than 5,000 partners across the Island and received highly positive feedback from participants. La IDEA also earned national recognition, including a Mercury Award from the U.S. Travel Association and a Silver Adrian Award from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Its website was also recognized by the U.S. Web Marketing Association.
In this new stage, Discover Puerto Rico is focusing on quality over quantity, with the goal of impacting between 800 and 1,000 partners.
The program features two digital marketing specialists who are working directly with business owners. Through personalized sessions, advisors are helping optimize online profiles, correct outdated information, upload relevant content, and enhance businesses’ visual presentation. Participants also receive free access to Discover Puerto Rico’s image library, which contains more than 30,000 high-resolution images of the destination.
Participation is completely free and available to any tourism-related business, with limited restrictions.
"With this relaunch, Discover Puerto Rico reaffirms its commitment to the ongoing development of the local tourism industry, betting on education as a key tool for growth, innovation, and resilience," said Haydil Rivera, Director of Marketing Partnerships at Discover Puerto Rico.
During the Industry Update event, Discover Puerto Rico also shared an overview of the tourism industry’s performance in early 2025, along with updates on destination marketing initiatives and efforts in leisure, business, events, and conventions sales.
Laressa Morales, Director of Market Research and Analysis, reported that during the first quarter of the year, year-over-year increases were recorded in passenger arrivals (10%), lodging revenue (11%), and combined hotel and rental demand (8%).
She noted that the booking pace forecasts a rise in short-term rental occupancy for the second quarter, while hotel performance is expected to remain steady compared to last year. The third quarter already shows significant increases across both hotels and rentals.
"Every month so far, we are seeing bookings ahead of last year. The growth we are seeing in August and September is particularly significant. Considering the results from the first three months and the current booking pace, we are confident that 2025 will also be a year of growth for the lodging segment," Morales said.
