The Power of Set-Jetting: Bad Bunny Boosts Puerto Rico Tourism
by Marsha Mowers
Puerto Rico is seeing a major tourism surge following Bad Bunny’s record-breaking Super Bowl LX halftime performance. According to Expedia, flight searches to the island jumped 245% compared to the same period last year, while searches for visits to the superstar’s hometown of Vega Baja skyrocketed by an astonishing 1,450%.
It’s not the first time the island’s gotten a set-jetting kick. In 2017, Puerto Rico was featured in the Justin Bieber/Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee hit song “Despacito.” Searches for the island on Hotels.com back then saw a 45% increase over the same period in 2016.
First spotted as a trend by Expedia in 2022, Set-Jetting – a travel trend in which people choose destinations specifically because they’ve seen them featured in a film, television series, or streaming production – has evolved into a mainstream movement with 53% of global travellers reporting increased interest in screen-inspired getaways in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, Expedia’s travel trend report finds that 81% of Gen Z and Millennial travellers worldwide plan trips based on locations featured in TV and film.
“While we are still processing the scale of the Super Bowl’s impact, what we feel in our soul is already certain: Bad Bunny has become so much more than a global star—he is an amazing representative of the heart of this Island and he carried all of us onto that stage with him,” Storm Tussey, Chief Marketing Officer at Discover Puerto Rico told Travel Market Report Canada.
“Through his quiet strength and unapologetic pride, he has shown the world that our culture and Spanish language isn’t just a way of speaking, but the very heartbeat of our resilience,” Tussey said.
“By refusing to translate his lyrics, he forced the world to listen to the beauty of our heritage in its purest form. He has sparked a curiosity that goes beyond tourism; he has invited the world to truly see us. He didn’t just introduce Puerto Rican culture to new audiences—he invited the world to feel the spirit of what it means to be Boricua.”
The Bad Bunny Effect wasn’t limited to the SuperBowl performance however: according to Discover Puerto Rico, his historic 31-show residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, significantly impacted its tourism industry by:
- Around 48,255 room nights booked across 34 hotels
- The total revenue generated by the Coliseo de Puerto Rico from ticket and concession sales surpassed $70.79 million
- 439,918 tickets sold, with $46.29 million in sales
- 10,000 temporary jobs created to support venue operations
- Destination Searches – According to Forward Keys’ Caribbean Travel Trend report, Puerto Rico led in Overseas Flight Searches for the period between July and September. Searches were up 44% versus 2024.
The boost also translated strongly to hotel occupancy:
- 1.3% year-over-year increase in airport arrivals in the July-September period, and a 15% lodging revenue boost in that same period
- For Q3, hotel demand increased 8% year-over-year, driven by strong growth in August and September. Combined rental demand increased 18% year-over-year.
- The average daily rate improved by 1% in Q3 for hotels and by 4% for rentals.
- Room taxes for July and August increased by 11% (This is a preliminary estimate from PRTC. $24.0 Million in Room Tax.)
Top source markets for Caribbean travel intent were Mexico (+107%), Colombia (+37%), and Brazil (+30%). Canada and Spain rounded out the top 5 with 22% and 21% growth over 2024, respectively. About 57,000 Canadians visited the island last year.
“Beyond the milestones and marquee moments, Puerto Rico’s power lies in its rhythm, the fusion of history, culinary brilliance, and cultural energy that makes the Island feel at once like a sanctuary and a celebration,” Storm Tussey, Chief Marketing Officer of Discover Puerto Rico said in a January press release.
“As we look ahead to 2026, we are shaping a new era of tourism through sensory-driven experiences, cultural storytelling, and data-informed insight, inviting travellers around the world to experience Puerto Rico as a place of belonging.”
