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2 Monday, March 21, 2016 The San Juan Daily <strong>Star</strong> Marine Diver Self-winding movement. Water-resistant to 300m. 18 ct rose gold case. Also available in stainless steel. ULYSSE-NARDIN.COM
GOOD MORNING The San Juan Daily <strong>Star</strong>, the only paper with 3 March 21, 2016 News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edion, along with a Weekend Edion to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Report Series to Highlight Tourism as Key Driver of Economic Recovery Local Mainland Business Internaonal Viewpoint Travel Science INDEX 3 11 16 19 24 25 26 Health Nocias en Español Legal Noces Sports Games Horoscope Cartoons 27 28 31 42 45 46 47 By MARIA MIRANDA SIERRA mirnadasanjuanstar@gmail.com The non-profit Foundation for Puerto Rico recently introduced the inaugural publication of “A Visitor’s Economy: From Knowledge to Action,” a guide to the island’s economic development based on tourism. Foundation for Puerto Rico Board President Jon Borshow and Analysis and Investigation Director Arnaldo Cruz said it is the first of many investigative efforts by the foundation in favor of the economic development of island tourism. “At the foundation we are contributing with knowledge in order to provide continuity to existing efforts and support the development of the tourism sector, in this case offering a point of reference on where we are and where we should be heading so the sector can grow,” Borshow said. “Tourism represents for Puerto Rico the biggest opportunity for economic growth in the short and medium term. Tourism is an important part of the local economy and the only one that is growing. “If it is considered a top priority … then as an economic strategy it can sustain accelerated growth that will change the island’s economic trajectory.” The document, available on the foundation’s webpage, http://foundationforpuertorico.org, establishes a frame of reference for the tourism industry. It defines the current status of the industry, while also explaining the course of action it must follow to become the economic development tool that could boost the Puerto Rican economy, Borschow added. The tourism industry currently represents 6 percent of the island’s gross national product (GNP), which is equivalent to a direct income of $2.4 billion, according to data published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in 2014. However, when you add indirect contributions, the estimates from the WTTC establish that the tourism industry in Puerto Rico generates some $7.4 billion, or 10.7 percent of the GNP. The report, which will be published every three months, suggests that direct contributions from tourism investments were responsible for the creation of 67,000 jobs in 2014. Borschow said that if a joint plan for economic development to mobilize this sector is put into action, those $7.4 billion could be doubled in about five years. “And if that were the case, we wouldn’t be talking about a financial crisis today,” he noted. “There are important distinctions explained in the document that are fundamental to correctly classifying tourism activities and measuring the contribution that tourism makes to the economy; data collection has been the biggest challenge we have faced during the study,” Cruz said, offering his point of view as the foundation’s analyst and investigator. The report establishes the current state of the industry, based on data from world organizations such as the WTTC, and from information provided by local agencies such as the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC) and the Puerto Rico Planning Board, as well as the 2012 Visitors’ Jon Borshow Continues on page 4
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