San Juan marks International Tourism Day with strategy-sharing session
By The Star Staff
As part of the celebration of International Tourism Day, which is today, the San Juan municipal administration, through its Department of Economic Development and Tourism, brought together a large group of tourism industry representatives to share strategies on how to maximize their efforts to attract more tourists to the island capital.
The event, entitled “Conversemos: San Juan,” also served the purpose of familiarizing tourism industry representatives with the municipal services that they have at their disposal and that are an integral part of improving the tourism offer, as well as the attractions that the Capital City has to offer, both for international and local tourists.
San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo highlighted the importance of the meeting, taking into account “that tourism is one of the central axes of our work plan to promote the economic development of the Capital City.”
“That is why we want to bring all possible tools to our merchants and entrepreneurs linked to this industry, … and support them while strengthening communication ties and teamwork, which are pillars of the public policy that I promote,” the mayor said.
Daphne Barbeito, director of the Municipal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, noted that during the event “we presented the Capital Entrepreneurship program and the resources we have available to support the creation of new jobs and the strengthening of businesses.”
“Among these, we reported on the decrees of tax exemption, for municipal and property for periods of five years, and real estate for a period of 10 years, as qualified,” she said. “In addition, guidance was provided on financial assistance grants for operational expenses of up to $5,000 for existing businesses and up to $10,000 for new businesses that qualify, depending on the availability of funds.”
Likewise, Discover Puerto Rico staff presented the tools they have available to give greater visibility to businesses through the various digital platforms that exist in the market.