The enormous economic impact that 30 concerts by Bad Bunny will have in Puerto Rico

Benito Martínez Ocasio – real name of the “bad rabbit” – decided to break schemes and offer 30 concerts in his land that will run until September 14, before leaving for a tour of Latin America, Europe and Asia.

His idea, once again, is to consolidate the international visibility of Puerto Rico.

Benito's music, during much of his career, has been differentiated by being deeply rooted in his Caribbean and Latin roots in general.

And in recent years he has stood out for denouncing the problems that are lived in the Caribbean nation, such as the displacement due to gentrification, the lack of reliable public services and an economy in contraction during the last two decades.

“We are trying to follow the nature of the album and preserve Puerto Rican traditions in all aspects of what we do,” Bad Bunny himself added in a conversation with Variety.

With more than 400,000 tickets sold, about three quarters of them in just four hours, the concert cycle, titled “I do not want to leave here”, could generate an approximate impact to the US $ 200 million for the local economy, according to Discover Puerto Rico, a non -profit organization that receives public money and that is dedicated to promoting the image of the island at international level.

The numbers, according to the entity, and an economist consulted by BBC Mundo, are conservative, and the benefit could be much greater.

In addition, if it is successful, the series of concerts can position Puerto Rico as a destination for other artists who seek to perform similar events and also serve as “school” for a local workforce dedicated to tourism, creative industries and other sectors that are not accustomed to working on events in such magnitude.

The José Miguel “Don Cholito” Colosseum, located in San Juan, has been the scene of multiple consecutive concerts, including great artists of the urban genre, as has happened in the past with Daddy Yankee or the Wisin and Yandel duo.

But what is planned by Bad Bunny is not preceded, the organizers claim. It is expected that, at night, “El Choliseo”, as the premises say, receive 14,000 spectators who will enjoy the artist's concerts.

According to Alejandro Pabón estimates, one of the producers of the residence who spoke with Billboard magazine, more than 200,000 people will be visiting the island from abroad.

This is unusual for July, August and September, which are usually months of little tourism because they are the peak period of the hurricane season.

Discover Puerto Rico has a record that some 34 hosts have sold 37,000 hotel nights.

In a strategy considered “innovative” in Puerto Rico, these hotels offered a “package” of experiences to those who have tickets for the concert series. In addition to lodging, they will have the possibility of accessing swimming pools, beaches, spas, gyms, limited editing gifts and exclusive parties.

It was the urban singer's own team, together with the Vibee and Discover Puerto Rico company, who helped agree these agreements with the hotels.

“This is the basis for about US $ 196 million of economic impact,” Glorianna Yamín, Marketing Director of Discover Puerto Rico, tells BBC.

“But we are only telling the hotels that offer these packages, so we know that we are being conservative, and that the economic impact will be much greater,” he added.

Since January, when the show was announced, hotel occupancy only for August reflected an interannual increase of 75%, indicate the data of the non -profit organization.

In the case of short -term rentals, there was a growth of 174% on nights reserved only in San Juan for the month of August and an increase of 200% for September, it reflects the Airdna platform.

Economist Indira Luciano, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, told BBC Mundo that Discover Puerto Rico estimated is clearly conservative.

The academic analyzed data from a report from the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute made between 2023 and 2024, which indicates that foreign travelers arriving to the island spend an average of US $ 156 per day, while those of Puerto Rican origin about US $ 70.

These amounts, which include a projection of what they spend in host, but also in other lines such as transfers and food, would mean an injection of US $ 160 million to the economy if it is considered that half of the 200,000 visitors of the residence will be foreigners.

“This is a very shy calculation, which I did with the information I have available, and thinking that half of the people who will come from outside are not Puerto Rican and will stay at least three days,” says the professor.

“But if Discover Puerto Rico has data directly from the hotel sector, and they estimate that only in stays will be US $ 196 million, I have no doubt that the economic contribution of the residence can be more than US $ 200 million,” he said.

Although there are still no estimated figures, the expectation is that other sectors, such as production, restaurants and tourist excursions also benefit from the economic impact of presentations.

The artist himself told Variety that as part of the show production They hired 1,000 people locally.

And in the choliseo it is expected that food stalls be for sale from cod to empanadillas, local dishes that are usually sold in a traveling basis.

However, the distribution of profits may not be equitable to the entire territory.

“The economic impact will be larger in San Juan, where the bulk of the activities will take place. You have to make the efforts to be distributed to the rest of the island. Because even the premises that will attend the concert will travel from their villages to the capital and that is where they will spend,” says economist Luciano.

Yamín, from Discover Puerto Rico, says that his organization created an website to advertise all the actors in the tourism industry.

In that site webthose who attend the concerts will find offers of guided tours, tourist experiences related to sauce, rum and other aspects of Puerto Rico that highlights the Bad Bunny album.

The organization, Yamín adds, has also made efforts to “educate” visitors about local culture, and the importance of protecting natural resources.

“We would like to take advantage of the number of visitors we will receive, what we want is to come to visit all Puerto Rico,” he says.

For Discover Puerto Rico, the event “is crucial” to position Puerto Rico as a “tourist destination to return.”

But also for the territory to be seen as a place where other artists can make residences.

Rolling Stone magazine has cataloged El Choliseo as a scenario that serves as a “passage rite” for Latin pop artists, among other things for the musical demand of the Puerto Rican audience, and its tendency to invest in live events.

What is planned by Bad Bunny now tests infrastructure, organizational capacity and Puerto Rican tourism offer.

“All these visits are an excessive burden for transport systems, roads, at least in the San Juan area. The government and companies will have to manage them so that within all that, the experience for the visitor is good and want to return,” says Professor Luciano.

When the shows announced in January, the singer's team decided that nine of the 30 functions should be for local residents, so that Puerto Ricans could enjoy an event that pays tribute to their culture.

This first sale of tickets was made in person, in nine different points of the island.

In Corozal, a small municipality in the center of Puerto Rico, thousands of people made ranks to buy tickets.

“No one expected these results. But it is the heart of everything Benito and I do: we eat, live, take, sleep and think of the community every day,” explains Noah Assad to Variety.

And he adds: “The residence will teach the world the intangible value of our home.”

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