Travel Without Limits: Enhancing Accessible Tourism in Puerto Rico

Thursday, April 10, 2025 Research

About the Accessibility Audit

Discover Puerto Rico commissioned a study to Skift Advisory firm to identify accessibility products and best practices in Puerto Rico and competing destinations. The initiative seeks to identify local services that provide an outstanding experience to travelers with accessibility needs. The study also allows us to identify trends in this traveler segment and better position our destination's marketing in this segment. Finally, it helps us highlight the need for new inclusive experiences among local businesses.

Read the Full Audit Here

Approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some accessibility needs. Nearly 27% of the US population has some type of disability.

This segment contributed $58 billion to the travel industry in 2022, and further segment growth is expected in the coming years. This group of travelers is motivated by several destination factors. Among the most important are:

Safety at the destination
Access to health and mobility services
Efficient transportation infrastructure
Few physical barriers
Personalized offerings

These travelers choose their destination and plan their transportation, stays, and itineraries in greater detail than others. As part of the process, they seek detailed information on the accessibility services offered. This may include resources to meet the needs of people with physical, visual, hearing, digestive, intellectual, or sensory disabilities.

Mar sin barreras in Luquillo — Mar Sin Barreras in Luquillo exemplifies inclusive tourism by providing accessible beach experiences, equipment, and support for visitors with mobility challenges, promoting dignity, equity, and belonging.

Best Practices in Puerto Rico

After a preliminary evaluation, Skift Advisory identified around fifty tourism facilities or projects with high potential to meet travelers' accessibility needs. After touring these facilities, they highlighted eight facilities or projects that integrate best practices for serving people with accessibility needs.

Parador Villas del Mar Hau

Isabela

Parador Villas del Mar Hau demonstrates a strong commitment to accessibility by providing adapted accommodations and accessible pathways, and has trained staff to support guests with disabilities.

The unique beach and water access combined with accessible accommodations is a cohesive accessible tourism experience that can be challenging to find in Puerto Rico (and anywhere).

Parador Villas del Mar Hau serves as a model for how accommodations can integrate accessibility into their offerings while maintaining a focus on hospitality and comfort.

Pa’l Agua – Senderos de Amor / Cocoloba

Aguadilla

Pa’l Agua offers guests the opportunity to experience an authentic Puerto Rican beach free of charge, despite any physical accessibility challenges they may face.

Highly accessible short-term rentals are challenging to find, but the partnership between Cocoloba and Pa’l Agua helps create a holistic beach experience.

Creating cohesive experiences and stays, such as that between Pa’l Agua and Cocoloba, is welcoming to guests apprehensive about traveling with accessibility challenges.

Horses of Hope

Isabela

Horses of Hope offers an enriching experience that is highly tailored to specific individuals and adaptable to changing needs and abilities.

With highly certified instructors at Horses of Hope, guests can trust that they or their loved ones will receive a deeply rewarding experience.

While Horses of Hope’s marketing focuses less on tourists and more on locals, they are registered on various sites for non-profit organizations, making them easy to find and contact.

Isla Caribe Tours

Ponce

Isla Caribe sets an example for tour companies on the possibilities for offering accessible tourism experiences through minor adaptations for guests.

While based in the eastern portion of Puerto Rico, Isla Caribe offers accessible opportunities to explore the entire island, which is challenging to find.

Although Isla Caribe does not currently market itself as an accessible tour company, their importance to accessible tourism in Puerto Rico is a great opportunity to expand offerings around the island.

Casa Bacardí

Cataño

Casa Bacardí demonstrates a strong commitment to accessibility by integrating inclusive design and adaptive services into its iconic visitor experience.

Its accessibility features, such as ramps, elevators, and trained staff, make it an excellent example of how historical and cultural attractions can accommodate guests with disabilities.

Casa Bacardí serves as a model for other tourism businesses in Puerto Rico to adopt and promote accessibility practices, ensuring all visitors can enjoy the island’s attractions.

El Yunque National Forest

Río Grande

El Yunque National Forest thoughtfully redesigned many of its sub-attractions to accommodate visitors with varying levels of accessibility.

El Yunque's focus on nature can be enjoyed by a variety of visitors, and this experience has been enhanced by its intentional planning.

El Yunque’s accessibility is communicated to visitors when they enter the parking lot with clear accessibility features.

Mar Sin Barreras

Luquillo

Mar Sin Barreras is paramount for safe and accessible beach experiences in Puerto Rico, thanks to a dedicated and experienced staff and volunteer base.

The proximity to San Juan and the adaptive resources available to a variety of guests facing accessibility challenges show great potential for attracting such guests to Puerto Rico.

With a strong but outdated reputation in the community of travelers with accessibility challenges, Mar Sin Barreras could play an important role in an accessible tourism network in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Access Tours

Fajardo, Luquillo y San Juan

Puerto Rico Access Tours' adaptability makes it an attractive option for a wide variety of guests, with or without accessibility challenges.

An informative and holistic booking, transportation, and tour experience make Puerto Rico Access Tours a safe and reliable choice for exploring parts of the island that could otherwise prove daunting to guests with accessibility challenges.

Puerto Rico Access Tours has mastered the communication of its accessible offerings, from communication up to the experience.

We encourage industry professionals to review the study and send us any comments, concerns, questions, or suggestions by filling out this short form or writing to us at [email protected]. We need your feedback to better serve this traveler’s community and the tourism industry. Your responses will help strengthen our website content and our destination marketing efforts.