Gone are the days when visitors to San Juan, Puerto Rico could only see what they were shown in an organised tour. Independent travel in a rental car is becoming the most popular way to travel and offers a real feel of the island and its culture.
Kevin Hall of SanJuanAirportCarRental.com has seen a 20% increase in his business over the past year, which he attributes to an improving US economy, cheaper flights, and cruise ship passengers, who have made Puerto Rico the ‘rich port’ once again.
The global recession in 2008 hit travellers to the Caribbean and visitor numbers fell, but with increased investment from the tourism bodies and a drop in airfares, passengers from Europe and the US are flocking back, especially to Puerto Rico. Kevin says, “Once the headquarters of the Spanish Armada, San Juan is now the cruise ship hub of the Caribbean, it’s second only to Miami as a home base for cruise liners. The numbers of tourists are increasing because San Juan is now an embarkation point, mid-cruise port-of-call, and a final destination”.
Offering rentals from San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, SanJuanAirportCarRental.com guarantees the lowest prices with leading car hire companies such as Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty. Part of the global AirportRentals.com network with over 2000 locations worldwide, Kevin’s team know that their low prices and their simple, secure booking service is the best not only on the island but also on the web, and that’s another reason business is booming.
A week’s car rental starts from as little as US$159.70 for a 2-doorsaloon, and for cruise passengers a daily rate of just over US$20.75gives themthe freedom to escape those expensive tour bus excursions. These days cruise passengers want more. They want to experience the real island, they want to explore and to see things in their own time, but it’s not just cruise ship passengers who are changing. Single travellers, couples, families and business travellers are now picking up a car on arrival because it’s cheaper and more reliable than public transport. At 100 miles long by 35 miles wide, the island is easy to navigate, and although the city is a great place to visit, the real beauty is in its mountains and secluded beaches which are only accessible by car.
“The USA market flocks to the island to enjoy the wonderful weather in December through May. This is when the weather is at its best with high’s in the mid-80s and lows in the high 70s” says Kevin “the European market takes advantage of the summer months, June to September, so we’re constantly busy, and that’s great!” It’s not just good news for the car rental market; in addition the small, local bed and breakfasts and the major resorts are also seeing a huge increase in visitors. The tourism market in Puerto Rico has seen an incredible increase over the last two years, and in a survey of visitors carried out by the Government Statistics Institute in 2012, almost 90 percent of those surveyed said they would strongly recommend the island as a great place to visit, so the numbers can only continue to grow.
For more information contact:
Kevin Hall
Head of Contracting and Supplier Relationships
Car Rental Republic
email: kevin@onlinerepublic.com
DD: +44(0)2031 375332
Web: http://sanjuanairportcarrental.com/