Report shows solid PR hotel occupancy

Puerto Rico’s 73.5 percent occupancy rate so far this year put it ahead of competitors including the .Dominican Republic, which was second at 69.8 percent, followed by Aruba (66.5 percent), U.S. Virgin Islands (64.5 percent), Barbados (63.1 percent) and the Bahamas (61 percent).

The findings were presented Thursday during the ongoing Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA) convention in San Juan.

The Smith Travel Research report found that Puerto Rico’s occupancy rate rose 4.2 percent compared to the January-August 2010 period. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) jumped a solid 6.8 percent after a decline of 0.2 the previous year.

Puerto Rico Tourism Co. figures for fiscal 2011 (which ended July 30) show a total of nearly 3.1 million hotel room nights sold, the highest tally ever for the island.