Bill aims to organize and promote extreme sports tourism across Puerto Rico.

Among the most popular adventure activities and extreme sports in Puerto Rico are skydiving, mountain biking, surfing, scuba diving, hiking and trekking, as well as zip lines. 

By THE STAR STAFF

The House of Representatives ratified on Monday a legislative measure proposing the creation of adventure tourism routes in Puerto Rico in order to promote the extreme sports industry through regions designated by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) that offer these attractions.

Representative José Aponte Hernández, author of House Project 426, highlighted adventure travel as one of the fastest-growing sectors within global tourism due to its economic, recreational, ecological, and cultural value.

“Our measure seeks to take advantage of this global trend to position Puerto Rico at the forefront of this segment through organization, visibility, and strategic promotion that maximizes its impact,” Aponte Hernández said.

For the legislator, promoting this industry would stimulate economic activity and tourism diversification in municipalities with “eco-adventure” potential, especially those located in the island’s central region.

Among the most popular adventure activities and extreme sports in Puerto Rico are skydiving, mountain biking, surfing, scuba diving, hiking and trekking, as well as zip lines. Skateboarding, gotcha or paintball, and horseback riding in natural areas are also practiced, Aponte Hernández explained.

According to data shared by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the global adventure tourism market was valued at $406 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach $1.009 trillion by 2030.

Meanwhile, the legislative body also approved House Project 881, which seeks to clarify in the Puerto Rico Incentives Code (Law 60-2019) that part-time jobs are covered under the definition of microenterprises so that these small businesses can benefit from incentive programs.

The measure, authored by Representative Emilio Carlo Acosta, aims to correct the exclusion of businesses operating under self-employment schemes or with part-time staff.

Likewise, the House approved Senate Project 135 in order to add a sixth option to the School Free Selection Program that would allow victims of domestic violence to enroll their dependents in schools closer to their residences or transfer them to schools of their preference.

The House also backed Senate Project 356, which would set the number of members of the Oversight Committee in cooperatives regulated under Law 239-2004 at three people.

During the legislative session, the chamber rejected by voice vote House Concurrent Resolution 36, which proposed amending the Constitution of Puerto Rico to require that candidates for governor obtain more than 45% of the vote in general elections to be elected.

The measure had been discharged on Monday after being introduced on Feb. 26 by four legislators from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). The authors are Representatives José “Conny” Varela Fernández, Ramón Torres Cruz, Swanny Vargas Laureano, and Ángel “Tito” Fourquet Cordero.