Stay Tranquilo - What it Means to Live Boricua with CEO of Discover Puerto Rico Brad Dean

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

In this episode of the Stay Tranquilo Show, powered by Stay Tranquilo Network, we are joined by CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, Brad Dean at the Puerto Rico Open. Brad highlights the following in our conversation from the Grand Reserve Golf Club: what it means to "Live Boricua" what makes Puerto Rico stand out as a destination how Puerto Rico is a place to "stay tranquilo" the diversity and uniqueness of things to do AND MORE Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody. We are here with Brad from Discover Puerto Rico. We're here at the clubhouse at the Puerto Rico open. Beautiful day here, sunny. I mean, you can't ask for a better day. Thanks for taking the time today. Thank you. And bienvenitos. Welcome to Puerto Rico. So the first time I actually came to Puerto Rico, I think, was on a cruise and I was five years old, and that's actually the last time I've been here. So it's basically my first time here. We hear from so many visitors who've been on a cruise and they stop for old San Juan, which is a must-see in Puerto Rico. And then they think that's the last time. That's it. And there's so much more to Puerto Rico than what you see when you're here on a cruise. It's true. I was doing a little bit of reading on the way here about like what are some of the things that are that Puerto Rico is known for, right? And O'Sanwan, of course, is always the thing people speak about. But the one thing that I was not familiar was the rainforest here at El Junque, right?

Al Junkay, which is the only tropical rainforest in the US Forest Service system. And to think that you could fly in and within 30 or 40 minutes be hiking through the only tropical rainforest in the US Forest Service system. then to see amazing waterfalls and go not too far away for a great cocktail or dinner or lunch. The proximity of what we're able to offer throughout the island is nothing short of exceptional. The one thing that caught my attention in the few days that we've been here, we got in on Tuesday, today's Wednesday, right? Yeah. Oh, we got in Monday night, actually. So the first thing that actually caught my attention, because you go to these islands and a lot of times the road infrastructure is not great, the highways are impressive here. And it's like,

you mentioned, it's extremely easy to get around. We're staying at El Carribe Hotel. I guess that's the San Juan, considered the San Juan area. It's about a 35-minute drive from here, but it's been so easy getting up and down. The Ubers or a driver has been great. The hospitality has been amazing. And a lot of the times when you go to these islands, that seems to be a struggle. So I don't know if it's something that you guys are doing here or what it is, but that was one thing that honesty, surprise me. I was not expecting that. Yeah, Puerto Rico is really an exceptional island on many ways. And one is we make it easy to get here with flights all throughout the U.S., direct flights from East Coast, Midwest, as far west as Denver,

and then easy connecting service through all of the major carriers. Once you get here, what you find is a unique, a lure, much like an international destination with unique culture and different language being spoken. But yet you have all the conveniences of living, and traveling in the United States. Great road infrastructure, three 5G communication networks all throughout the islands. You're never unconnected. And of course, we've got a healthy presence of brands that you're very familiar with from CVS, Walgreens to Walmart. So you get the best of the conveniences and amenities of the U.S. mainland, but yet the unique allure of an extraordinary destination with the unique culture and some amazing people that make it a special place.

Yeah, the island's beautiful, the people are amazing. It's, it's been only a few days, And it's been a truly amazing experience. So you guys are doing it a phenomenal job here, and we're very happy to be here. But a question that I wanted to ask you, obviously, we spoke about it a little bit before, but COVID kind of altered a lot of things. But I think definitely the travel space, I think indirectly but directly at the same time, what was some of the things that you saw post-COVID that you believe kind of amplified maybe Puerto Rico tourism? because we were at the press conversation

and they were eluding that things are going well here, tourism has been really good. What are some of the things that you've seen that kind of have been, I guess, like a push to help Puerto Rico? One of the first things we saw, even before COVID, but it certainly became very evident after COVID, is travelers looking for travel with meaning and purpose, not just a bucket list or a list of Instagram shots

to post on your social media account, but travel that is about you. It's self-fulfilling. And we think that fits right into the wellness need. Wellness isn't just about addressing medical need. It's about what's in here and what's in here and bringing that to life. And Puerto Rico is a place that doesn't. Now, I give credit to the younger travelers because they were on this before the rest of us.

But post-pandemic, a lot of people were looking for meaningful, purposeful travel. And that was the perfect time for us to roll out our brand positioning, Live Boricua, which is an invitation to the world. So don't just come for the visit, come alive with the experience, and tap into the rich, vibrant culture, the history. and what really connects you to Mother Nature or to your soul and what makes it really special. The second thing we found is post-COVID, a lot of people didn't want to be in big crowds. And that was perfect for Puerto Rico because we have so much outside the metro area.

So there's great restaurants, nightlife, and attractions in San Juan. But to get to the southern city of Ponce with exquisite cuisine and amazing art museum, to go on the West Coast, Rincon, Cabo Rojo, some of the most gorgeous sunset you will ever see. And then one area that I find most interesting, and we've seen this come alive post-pandemic, is the central mountain region, whether it's Toro Verde Action Park with the longest zip line in the Western Hemisphere, or some of our coffee hacienda. Just imagine droving through the mountains. You come upon this coffee hacienda. You smell that rich aroma of Puerto Rican coffee. You get a taste the coffee where it's been harvested.

It's an amazing experience, and you can do it at your leisure, at your pace, whenever, wherever you want. So these are some of the experiences that we saw became more important and far more impactful to people when they were looking for travel that makes them feel better about themselves. I think that's a great point. The travel with a purpose, I love that, you know, that kind of positioning because people are looking not only for experiences, but like you said, they're looking for some sort of connection, right? So when they come here, whether they have family that's, you know, ancestors that I've lived here, or they may have family and friends, or they just feel some sort of course. affinity to the location. I think people like to immerse himself in that experience. And they're not just looking for the cool spot to go to, right? They're looking for, hey, I want to go see the rainforest. I want to go see the beach. I want to try the food. Right. I want to see the music. I want to connect

with the locals. And I think Airbnb did a great job with that, right? Where their positioning was like, feel like a local whenever you travel. And me personally, that's a way I like to travel. I like to kind of do the off the beaten path kind of travel where it's maybe something in the jungle, right, or something in like a hidden little area off the beach, right? Not necessarily always the big resorts, right? Because that's, when people think of, it's like, I got to go to the all-inclusive hotel. I got to, you know, that's the one way people think. And that's, I think that's one market in itself. But I also do think that people our age are more open-minded, I guess you can say. And they're willing to kind of do almost like, not uncomfortable experiences,

different experiences. And I do believe Puerto Rico is one of those places where it provides that diversity where you can get a little bit of everything. Maybe you stay a few days closer to the rainforests. Maybe you stay a few days closer to the beach. And it kind of gives you the best of both worlds, which people want that, right? They don't want to just go to one place and then just they're in and they're out and they got their experience. They want to kind of maybe taste a little bit of what the destination has to offer. Well, you just touched on one of the great advantage of the Puerto Rico is there's so much to offer, but yet it's a very compact island. We're talking a hundred miles wide, east and west, 35 north and south. So you're never far from anything. So literally,

you could stroll the cobblestone streets of San Juan in the morning, hike the rainforest in the afternoon, and be kayaking through a bioluminescent bay that evening. And I think what really distinguishes Puerto Rico is that rich, vibrant culture, which is fascinating because it's this amazing fusion of African, Spanish, and Taino Native American heritage. all blended together and you see it in the art in the architecture, you hear it in the music and you taste it in the food with these amazing mixes of Creole with Caribbean spices. You'll taste things here like you've never tasted before.

Now, of course, we can't talk about Puerto Rico without pointing out also the rum capital of the world. Very true. So whether you want to enjoy some of those unique concoctions from rum or go take a tour of one of the rum distilleries where you actually get to see the art, the history, and the science of run-making. And that's one of those unique experiences. of those unique experiences that you can mix with the nature and the self-wellness, travel,

and tourism that just makes Puerto Rico such a unique place. What is it that makes the rum so unique here? Like, what is it that Puerto Rico is known for that? Well, of course, the ingredients for centuries, you know, the ingredients have been harvested here. The rum makers tell me that each of them have their own special recipe. But you know what I think makes it most interesting is the people. When you meet the people that are making the rum, it's art. And it's a creation that comes from the heart

before it comes from the ingredients. And when you think about the history of rum making and what it's meant to this island in the region, it takes on added significant. Not to mention the fact that it's perfectly paired with some amazing cuisine all throughout the island. Whether you're going through the Centoreos and exploring some of the great festive atmosphere

in the islands or just some unique fine dining. In fact, we have some amazing world-renowned chefs, including some of the most prominent women's chefs, in the Western Hemisphere right here in Puerto Rico. But then you can also go to places like L'Killo to enjoy some great ethnic cuisine at Los Kiosko. So you're never far from a great meal, a great cocktail, and great friends, because in Puerto Rico,

everybody wants you to come and enjoy their island. And that's why we invite the world to come and live Puerto Rico. You come here, this is where it's paradise. That's how it feels. I think it is a true getaway, and it's an experience where you really can disconnect and immerse yourself. and I think that's something that people really need to gravitate more to.

And it gives you perspective, right? I think one of the biggest things, at least for me, is always kind of looking at an experience from an open perspective and not really going in there with an expectation, right? You know, you go in there, you know what, you kind of know what you want to do, what you want to experience, but to me you don't know what's going to happen along the way, right? You might meet someone that might be able to take you to a little village, right? And that could open up a cool little door and a cool little experience that you probably would have never been able to experience before.

And I think Latinos in specific, right, when you go to places like Colombia, you go to places like Puerto Rico, you go to places even in the Bahamas, right? The locals like to mingle with the tourists in a way where they're very like open arms, I guess you can say, and they're willing to kind of show you around and and bring you in like your familia, right? Like that's the way I've always seen it. And that's amazing very cool, right, where the locals are welcoming to the tourists. Oh, absolutely. I think in Puerto Rico, it's truly a destination where you can find yourself by losing yourself. You explore all these amazing experiences and unique attractions and historical artifacts all throughout the island. And while you'll find different versions of history and culture and art mixed in, the one thing you'll never lack is finding the warm, welcoming, hospitable spirit of the people of Puerto Rico. In fact, the Boricua really comes from the name Boricuan, which is the name the Taino Native Americans originally used for the island of Puerto Rico.

But today, Boricua is a term, it's a collegial term, right? It talks about people or describes people of Puerto Rican birth or descent. But for us, it discovered Puerto Rico, it's about the spirit, the melody of Puerto Rico, which is not just the beautiful places, but the wonderful faces that you meet all throughout the island. And of course, we make it easy, especially for U.S. citizens, because you don't need a passport to come to Puerto Rico. So if your passport's expired and you don't have time to get it renewed or you don't even have a passport, no passport, no problem. We got you covered.

Absolutely. So obviously the Puerto Rico Open is going on here. Can you tell us a little bit about what this event means to the island and it's been going down now, I believe, for about 15, 16 years now? And we've had the chance of been able to speak to some of the players and they speak very highly about this event. So I wanted to hear your perspective on this event and what it means to Puerto Rico. Well, the Puerto Rico Open means several things. First, it's a celebration of golf. We have 18 extraordinary golf courses with two more on the way.

This year's tournament will be right here at the Grand Reserve, just one of the exquisite courses that have been designed by renowned architects, from Robert Trent Jones Jr. to Nicholas and others. And so what you'll see today is some of the finest athletes competing for that coveted title. And of course, moving on into the golf rankings from there. Secondly, for us, it's also a great opportunity to help the island because some of the funds raised this week will go to people in need.

So not only are we boosting the economy and celebrating golf, we're helping local residents. And then selfishly for us in Puerto Rico, we're especially excited this year. We have four local golfers. Saw that. And so we're thrilled that, of course, Rafa Campos has been a mainstay on this tournament

for a number of years, and we're all rooting for Rafa. But he's now the veteran of this cohort of four. So Kelvin, Chris, Evan, These golfers are amazing. And so it's neat to see local athletes rising to prominence on the national scale. And so I can assure you this. I don't know who's going to win the tournament, but I can certainly this.

Puerto Rico is the winner this week because we'll get national worldwide exposure. It'll help our economy. It'll help people in need. And we're going to see some great local golfers golf and have what we think is going to be an exquisite experience for them. It is. We saw that there's plenty of youth that's going to be playing here. We have a 15, I believe, an 18-year-old playing this weekend. So that's a cool experience.

And it's something that just shows like this can be passed on from generation to generation, right? Not only the game, but this experience itself, right? The parents that have been coming to this tournament for the last 15 years, they bring their kid. Because we're always trying to think, how can we not only grow the game of golf, but how can we grow the game of golf amongst the Latino community, right? There's plenty of fans that enjoy the game. There's plenty of players on tour that represent Hispanic, Democratic. graphic and there's plenty still to be done to help grow the game and we spoke with raffa we spoke

with camillo viyagas and they all said the same thing it's about how can we get the kids more involved at a young age and have them see us play right have the dream that hey maybe i can be a golfer right and just start putting in their head put the club in their hands and let them experience this awesome game and little by little it'll kind of piggyback and you'll see that the next generation will pick it up i think you just touched on something that's important to us not only for golf but culturally when you can take those talented stars in every field whether it's a roberto clemente in baseball a tito puente and music or a raffa compos and golf and put them on the national and international stage it sends

such a powerful message to other youth not only here in puerto rico beyond and we know from puerto rico's rich legacy in sports and entertainment music um you know acting so many other facets that when Puerto Ricans are put on the national and global stage, they shine bright, not only for our island, but for humanity. So for us this week, it's about shining a bright light not only on an extraordinary island, but some of the people that make it such an extraordinary place. Absolutely. That's a great point. I do think that there's plenty of representation of successful Puerto Ricans that have done an amazing job of including the country and being very proud of where they're from. So that, that to me, is always a testament of the country and the place they are and the people that come out of it. So that's a great point. Before we wrap it up, one thing that I wanted to bring up was,

this is considered a tranquil destination in my eyes, right? For lack of a better term, how would you say Puerto Rico represents a place to stay tranquil? So the great thing about Puerto Rico, there's so much to do that will excites you and get the adrenaline pumping, right? From ziplines to surfing to horseback riding, but it's also a place where you can just step back and do what you want to do at your pace and with people that you want to be with or by yourself. And so if you're looking to stay

tranquil, whether it's relaxing on the beach, a stroll through the rainforest, kayaking through a bioluminescent bay or kayaking through the Bay of San Juan right there in Condado, there's so many things you can do at your pace, at your leisure, that lets you connect with yourself. And I think for a lot of us today, that's what we need,

not only for wellness, but for self-health. And to be around loved ones and friends and family that we enjoy, Puerto Rico opens that up. But yet at the same time, if you want to take a stroll through an extraordinary art museum, or interact with some local artists, or watch a chef create their mastery in the kitchen, which is a whole other art form, you have that as well. So Puerto Rico, it's a great place to stay tranquil, because wherever you go, you're going to find warm, hospitable people, extraordinary experiences that you can do at your pace

and your way that will leave you with memories that will last a lifetime. Absolutely. Well, we appreciate the time today. I mean, we can't ask for a better day, better moment. It's been a pleasure to have you on here. Thanks for coming and learning what it means to live Boricca. Absolutely. We appreciate it. Thank you.