This summer, Puerto Rico’s economy experienced a drastic boom during a time when tourism is usually low due to hurricane season. Mr. Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, commonly known as Bad Bunny, brought in an estimated $200 million over the past three months through his residency tour, “No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui,” according to CNN. The tourism rate promoted local businesses and Puerto Rican culture, including nine shows performed just for the citizens of Puerto Rico. The concert celebrated Bad Bunny’s sixth solo album, “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” and this album reflects his renewed connection to the island through its lyrics and music, according to The New York Times.
Bad Bunny’s new album combines styles of Puerto Rican folk music and salsa, honoring his homeland, according to rollingstone.com. The album includes 17 songs featuring various artists and music styles. Bad Bunny collaborated with artists like Chuwi, Dei V, Omar Courtz, Pleneros de la Cresta, and RaiNao, as he continues to promote Puerto Rican artists, according to forbes.com. His album incorporates both traditional and modern Puerto Rican music, such as jarabe, which is folk music from the campo, historic Afro Puerto Rican bomba y plena protest music, and Nuyorican diasporic salsa, according to npr.com. The album starts with “Nueva Yol,” which samples a salsa classic and blends parts of New York culture with Puerto Rican heritage.
Bad Bunny toured at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, performing 31 shows in total. Usually during the hurricane season, which lasts from June to November, tourism drops by 25 to 45 percent, according to The New York Times. Tourism makes up about 7 percent of the Puerto Rican economy, according to newyorkfed.org. Puerto Rico receives about 7.5 million visitors annually, with about 1.9 million tourists staying in hotels, according to discoverpuertorico.com. The concert had over 600,000 attendees over the three months, according to usatoday.com. Señora Kamille Ruiz, Upper School Spanish teacher, attended a concert during the tour. Señora Ruiz commented on the atmosphere of the concert.
“It was like a big party,” Señora Ruiz said. “It was like going to a street fair. People would be there super early. [Y]ou would literally spend the whole day outside, and then around 6:30 p.m., they would let you in and would continue inside.”
With the rise in tourism, local businesses also saw an increase in customers. The concert helped promote locally made goods, like bathing suits or shirts for tourists, according to The New York Times. Businesses, such as a hotel featured in one of Bad Bunny’s videos, saw about a 7 percent increase in customers. Tour companies in Bad Bunny’s hometown also experienced a rise in tourism, according to nbcnewyork.com. During the residency, vendors sold hand-held fans with designs inspired by the album and the island, earning about $5,000 each night, according to nbcnews.com. Thanks to Bad Bunny’s concert, many local businesses made significant profits during a time that is usually a low income season.
Bad Bunny’s new album captures both the political and cultural messages of Puerto Rico, from how the tourist industry is impacting the island to connecting Puerto Rico to another United States territory, Hawaii, according to npr.com. His song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” compares Hawaii to Puerto Rico, pointing out the influx of tourists and outside investors buying property on the islands, according to teenvogue.com. Bad Bunny uses his album to discuss issues like gentrification and irresponsible tourism, and how these affect Puerto Rico, according to npr.com.
The United States National Football League (NFL) and Apple Music jointly announced Bad Bunny as the next Super Bowl LX Halftime performer September 28, according to nfl.com. The announcement garnered excitement, with audiences eager to learn the Spanish language to understand Bad Bunny’s songs, according to CNN. However, the 12 to 15 minute Halftime performance is a limited time frame to bring Puerto Rico’s issues to the attention of NFL audiences, according to nbcbayarea.com. Señora Ruiz shared how Bad Bunny has brought Puerto Rico to the world stage.
“He has brought so much attention to the island,” Señora Ruiz said. “You have the result of so many people coming to Puerto Rico just to see him. It’s had such a huge impact getting the rest of the world to know about Puerto Rico. You could see people from everywhere in the world came, like I was there and the people next to me were from Peru. There were people from other countries that came just to see the concert and they stayed in Puerto Rico. Everyone wanted to go to the concert and there were different generations, like you could see grandparents at the concert and young people.”
Featured Image by Gianna Rodrigues ’27
