I’m a Puerto Rico travel writer. Am I dooming Puerto Rico to overtourism?

Following the pandemic, tourism experienced a surge across the globe.

With remote jobs and social media, traveling to those Instagram-perfect destinations has become a must on everyone’s bucket list.

But as these must-see destinations explode in popularity, overtourism has become a real problem for many. 

It’s impacting the economy, culture, and environment of countless cities and countries, and even sparking massive protests. In the past years, protests have broken out in places like Barcelona, Paris, and Hawaii. It makes you wonder. [source, source, source]

I’m a proud Puerto Rico local, and I truly believe my home has so much to offer, but sharing it with the world might actually be what takes it away.

As a travel writer revealing Puerto Rico’s hidden gems and paradisiacal corners, I often ask myself: am I also dooming it to overtourism?

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A tourism boom with two faces

With most countries around the world having closed their borders during the pandemic, Puerto Rico saw a spike in tourism in 2021. This was mostly from U.S. travelers, who could easily visit the unincorporated territory without a passport or visa.

By 2024, Puerto Rico recorded 6.6 million visitors entering the Caribbean archipelago, an 8% increase over 2023. Of those visitors, 4 million were from the U.S. The steady growth in tourism since 2021 shows no signs of stopping. [source]

And while this boom has helped grow the economy and created jobs for thousands, it brings negative consequences too; ones I experience daily as a local. 

It leaves me wondering: are we killing the goose that lays the golden eggs? Will our greed for economic growth and international recognition be the end of Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans?

Gentrification and displacement are ongoing in some of Puerto Rico’s tourist cities.

One of the most visible consequences of rising tourism is local gentrification. Cities like San Juan, Dorado, Culebra, and Rincón have become battlegrounds for locals trying to buy or rent housing. 

Instead, you’ll find hundreds of short-term rentals in tourist cities. In Culebra, for example, by the end of 2022, 30% of the local housing market was listed in short-term apartment rental platforms. [source]

Keep in mind that 20% of Culebra is a refuge, and therefore uninhabitable. 

More than once, you’ll see that a single person or company owns multiple listings. This kind of defeats the promise that these platforms are a way for the middle class to create additional income.

An average middle-class person in Puerto Rico doesn’t own three or four luxury villas. Actually, let me rephrase that: the middle-class worker in Puerto Rico can hardly own a house nowadays. [source]

To that, add the fact that many foreigners get to live in Puerto Rico tax-free thanks to Act 22 and other tax-exempting laws. [source, source]

Puerto Rico’s natural landscape is being destroyed to accommodate the growing tourism.

Puerto Rico’s image as a tax haven has attracted wealthy foreigners, increasing demand for luxury real estate and leading to the privatization of entire neighborhoods.

To meet the growing demand for high-end travel experiences, developers have begun purchasing environmentally essential land to build resorts, villas, and luxury neighborhoods.

One of the most alarming examples is the Esencia project in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo. [source]

This luxury resort will cover 2,000 acres and include 106 rooms, 83 residential villas, 200 private properties, and a golf course, among other amenities. 

Boquerón is home to one of Puerto Rico’s most important refuges and is often considered a bird sanctuary. It also offers some of the main island’s darkest skies, ideal for stargazing. Is there any real guarantee that this development won’t harm this Cabo Rojo neighborhood’s environment and biodiversity?

Esencia is backed by foreign companies under the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, which operates 43 hotels worldwide. Similar projects by these luxury companies have a history of environmental damage and restricted public access to beaches and historical sites in countries like Montenegro and Mexico. [source, source, source]

In Puerto Rico, locals are protesting, taking such protests to the US mainland to be seen and heard, but the government continues to push the project. And while there are promises that beaches and reserves won’t be privatized, past experiences with luxury projects show there is little respect for contracts or law when money is involved. [source, source]

Limited access for locals to beaches at Dorado, Río Grande, and Isabela is living proof. 

For example, to access Shack’s Beach in Isabela and Las Picúas Beach in Río Grande, you have to walk through narrow pedestrian paths, as both coastlines are lined with private villas and short-term rentals. 

And it’s not just hotels and apartment rentals creating environmental problems. The demand for “unique experiences” constantly affects Puerto Rico’s ecosystem.

Offshore islands and cays like those in La Parguera are heavily impacted by daily boat traffic. This damages mangroves and coral reef ecosystems, both of which are essential to protecting Puerto Rico’s coast.

In Rincón, the construction of a bike path threatens a community forest and multiple beaches. [source]

Attracting and entertaining tourists may bring money, but at what cost? And for whom?

The crowds and demand for tourist-friendly experiences are damaging historical heritage.

Not long ago, I had an appointment in Old San Juan. I arrived early, thinking I’d have time to park and walk. Instead, every parking lot was full, and a 500-meter drive took over 10 minutes. I was late. 

That’s on me, but I kept asking myself: “Why are there so many people here on a common Friday afternoon?”

I had to rush through crowds of tourists along the cobblestone streets. And I couldn’t help but wonder: Is this really safe for such a historic city? So many cars, so many people, all flowing through centuries-old infrastructure.

It can’t be. And renovating historical buildings to accommodate fancy shops and restaurants probably isn’t either. In the last months of 2024, the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society documented over 100 changes in the facades of historical buildings in Old San Juan. [source]

Similarly, projects like the creation of Bahia Urbana Park by IDEAS could potentially damage historical infrastructure, as well as affect the environment, lifestyle, and transportation in Old San Juan. [source]

The park will have a waterfront promenade, an urban eco-adventure park, and a beach on the bay, but it’s mainly built for tourists.

After my appointment that Friday, I walked around and noticed more short-term rentals, bougie shops, and restaurants that, as a local, I thought didn’t reflect the real Puerto Rico. For a moment, it didn’t feel like San Juan — the historical capital and the center of culture in Puerto Rico — was ours anymore. 

What can be done?

But if tourists are interested in visiting, isn’t that a good thing?

I’m an avid traveler myself. I understand why people want to visit places like Paris or Barcelona. And I completely get why they’re drawn to Puerto Rico. I promote it in everything I write.

But I just wish people were less greedy and more conscious when they travel.

If you’re traveling to Puerto Rico as a tourist, keep it at that. As enchanting as Puerto Rico is, the number of foreigners moving to the island affects (often more negatively than positively, unlike the popular narrative) the local community.

If you do decide to stay, live among us, not above us. For those who just want to visit, I have a few recommendations.

First, visit the famous spots, but also dare to explore beyond them. 

Most tourists cluster in Old San Juan. While it’s worth seeing, there’s so much more to discover. By visiting smaller towns or learning more about Puerto Rico’s history, you support the local economy and experience a more authentic Puerto Rico.

For example, two great alternatives to Old San Juan are the historical downtowns of San Germán and Guayama, which offer cheaper, quieter, and often richer cultural experiences.

When our Director of Marketing and Senior Editor, Taylor, visited Puerto Rico in 2023, we started our trip in Lajas, Cabo Rojo, and Guánica in the southwest, before heading to El Yunque and Old San Juan. 

That way, she got to see both the iconic sites and the lesser-known corners that make Puerto Rico special.

Second, consider staying at locally owned inns or smaller hotels. I get why luxury resorts are a thing. Really, I do. They’re convenient, private, and take care of everything. But the demand for beachfront resorts, golf courses, and “exclusive” experiences is harming our environment and pushing locals out.

Puerto Rico’s beaches are public. You don’t need a resort to enjoy their beauty, and you don’t need “luxury” to get good 5-star service in a hotel.

Many local B&Bs and small inns offer unforgettable stays. And as someone who’s worked in one of the most popular luxury hotels in Puerto Rico, I can tell you, it’s just an illusion.

Third, choose local hotels (or any hotel) over apartment rentals. Support local tour operators and dine at local restaurants. 

Many big-name brands funnel profits off the island, which kind of defeats the whole “tourism helps Puerto Rico’s economy grow” thing. A bit of research can go a long way in making your trip more ethical.

These are the choices that separate an average tourist from a conscious traveler.

I’m still hoping for the best.

As a Puerto Rican writer sharing the best of my home with the world, I’ll always wonder if I’m playing a part in its overtourism. Am I helping to pave the way for more private beaches, a housing crisis, and environmental loss?

But now, as a tour guide for Puerto Rico too, I hold on to the hope that I can be part of the solution by helping people experience Puerto Rico more consciously.

I know I’m not alone. There are others out there who want to travel ethically, who want to see the world, not take it. And with that in mind, I continue to share my paradise through every written guide, with care, and with hope.

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Thanks for reading! Up next, check out my thoughts on what Puerto Rico’s tourism industry could learn from Peru.