Programs
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company offers support during all key stages of the planning and development of tourism projects
Endorsement Program
Benefits
Documents
Requirements
Benefits
- Promotion in PRTC’s official publications and marketing campaigns.
- Access to PRTC’s promotional material.
- Promotion in the seepuertorico.com website.
- Promotion in local and foreign marketing strategies.
- The opportunity to be promoted in activities sponsored by the Company.
- Participation in certain market-specific public relation efforts.
- Access to a variety of courses and workshops that promote customer service quality and improve a client’s experience (subject to availability).
- The use of the PRTC official logo and/or promotional material (authorization required).
- An 11% discount in your energy bill.
*Additional benefits may be available under certain conditions.
Documents
- Use Permit – Provided by the office of permits management or the municipality, as the case may be.
- Sanitary License or recent inspection certificate – Provided by the Puerto Rico Department of Health
- Inspection Certificate – Provided by the Puerto Rico Fire Department
- Municipal License
- General Liability Insurance Policy – With a minimum coverage for the amount of $1,000,000. Policy must include the Puerto Rico Tourism Company as an additional insured and a Hold Harmless Agreement in favor of the Company must be in place.
- ID of the owner with photo – Required only for Bed & Breakfast properties.
- Certificate of Non Penal Records – Required only for Bed & Breakfast properties.
- Alcoholic Beverage License – If applicable. Provided by the Puerto Rico Treasury Department.
*Some of the documents required may be found on pr.gov’s website.
Requirements
Click on the links below to download forms necessary to start a tourism industry business in Puerto Rico.
- Instructions to request comments and endorsements before the Office of Planning & Development of the PRTC
- Application checklist for use permit (in Spanish)
- Application checklist for conceptual design and site location
- Application checklist for signs installation
- Application checklist for construction endorsement
- Checklist application for approval to sell alcoholic beverages
- Checklist for application for approval for use permit and to sell alcoholic drinks
Promotional Endorsements for Tour Businesses & Touristic Activities
A Promotional Endorsement is a free and voluntary benefit for tour businesses and touristic activity services that wish to be promoted by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. There are minimum and basic requirements to comply with in order to obtain these benefits. The requirements are listed by category within the application and apply depending on the business’ type of activity.
- Promotional endorsement application (in Spanish)
- Tour & services description
- Promotional endorsement benefits (in Spanish)
- Responsibility sheet for the endorsed business (in Spanish)
- Criteria guide for endorsed businesses (in Spanish)
Find out more about Tour Guides and Travel Agencies:
Sustainable Tourism
I. Green Certification Program
Sustainable Touristic Facilities Program
The Green Hotel Program seeks to ensure all tourist facilities endorsed by PRTC meet sustainability principles and improve long-term competitiveness of the tourism industry. For this Program, PRTC developed the following guidelines: Design Guidelines for Eco-touristic and Sustainable Tourism Facilities, and Operational Guidelines for Eco-touristic and Sustainable Tourism Facilities.
The Design Guidelines for Eco-touristic and Sustainable Tourism Facilities focus on new infrastructure projects and include the following categories: Sustainable Tourism Design, Eco-touristic Design, and Exemplary Eco-touristic Design.
Eco-lodge
Sustainable Tourism
Agro-lodgings
Eco-lodge
Any form of lodging that complies and operates under the requirements of the Design and Operational Guidelines for Eco-tourism and Sustainable Tourism Facilities and the Green Lodging certification issued by PRTC’s Sustainable Tourism Division. For more information on Sustainable Tourism click the button below.
Sustainable Tourism
Puerto Rico has the resources and the potential to develop the sustainable tourism sector as it possesses a wide variety of natural and cultural attractions. Therefore, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company has developed a guide to establish the bases for the development of ecotourism and sustainable tourism in the Island. These are important tools for the proper development and management of these new tourism approach that will position Puerto Rico at a new level in this market segment.
Agro-lodgings
Hostelries with a minimum of three (3) rooms located at a site where an agricultural activity certified by the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture takes place, that provide an agricultural experience in combination with the lodging service. It may operate under any of the hostelry modes recognized by PRTC (bed & breakfast, guest house, touristic villas, hotel) as long as it complies with the requirements of an agro-tourism project as defined in the Agro-Lodgings Regulation, and certified under the PRTC’s Green Lodging Program.
All projects submitting a request for certification have to comply with guidelines that include:
- Involving tourism stakeholders, primarily communities, as main actors in the planning process.
- Decision-making and management of the facility.
- Integration of the community’s climate and the natural beauty of the environment into the architectural design of the project in order to conserve the site’s cultural, historical, and natural heritage.
- Efficient use of the resources, including, energy, water, soil, construction materials, and the use of the resources during the construction process.
The Operational Guidelines for Eco-touristic and Sustainable Tourism Facilities focuses on new and existing buildings and includes the following classifications: Basic, Meritorious, and Exemplary categories.
Facilities requesting certification as sustainable tourism facilities must comply with sustainable criteria in the following operational areas:
- Approach routes and facility premises
- Administration offices and front desk
- Public areas
- Kitchen and dining
- Public restrooms
- Guestrooms
- Service and Maintenance
- Laundry room
- Facility roof surface
- Exterior reflectivity
- Rainwater harvesting
- Renewable energy sources
- Natural emergency preparedness
PRTC evaluates energy efficiency, water saving, appropriate disposal of waste products, indoor air quality, landscaping practices, recycling program, the establishment of an environmental policy, including service providers, as well as a green team, involvement and benefit of the local community, education and outreach, green fleet of vehicles, reduction of toxic and hazardous substance within the whole property. Under the Sustainable Touristic Facilities Program Memorandum of Understanding the Puerto Rico Tourism Company collaborates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Puerto Rico Solid Waste Management Authority to advance sustainable development and operation of hospitality facilities in Puerto Rico.
Click on the links below to download PRTC eco-touristic guides
Agrotourism Program
The Agrotourism Program’s purpose is to reevaluate agriculture in our society and promote it under a sustainable framework. In addition, agrotourism represents an additional income to the existing agricultural activity. The PRTC established an advisory council composed of state and federal agencies and academic institutions. This council developed the Agrotourism Guidelines, which establish the general requirements for all projects, criteria based on the type of agricultural activity or business, and agro lodges. The program proposes two categories: basic and ecological.
Click on the link below to download PRTC agrotourism guidelines
Ecotourism Program
The purpose of the Ecotourism Program is to promote the creation and ensure the quality standards of ecotourism products. The standards of the Guidelines of Ecotourism manual guarantee these goals are met while satisfying the clients’ expectations while taking into account the local realities and capacities and therefore, promoting a sense of place and authenticity.
The guidelines provide a broad and detailed scope of the criteria, requirements, permits, and qualifications an ecotourism operation must fulfill in order to obtain certification. These areas are the general practice of the excursion, practices of minimum impact, infrastructure, lighting, noise, security, the conservation of natural and cultural resources, education and interpretation, local economic development, citizen participation. Under the conservation of natural and cultural resources, the requirements vary according to the type of activity proposed.
Click on the link below to download PRTC ecotourism guidelines
II. Blue Flag Program
PRTC provides financial and technical support to the Blue Flag Program, which certifies beaches and marinas in compliance with the following criteria: environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management and safety, and services. At present, Puerto Rico has seven (7) beaches and two (2) marinas certified under the Blue Flag Program.
Nautical Tourism
Nautical tourism as defined by the Tourism Development Act of 2010 includes the set of services offered in contact with water to nautical tourists, including, but not limited to:
- The lease or charter of boats to tourists for leisure, recreation, or educational purposes, including excursions.
- The leasing of small boats, jet skis, kayaks, sailboats or other similar vessels, whether motorized or not, to a guests of a hotel, condo-hotel, timeshare or vacation club, located within a resort or a tourist marina or near the places mentioned above areas, as provided by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company by regulation.
- The operation of an integrated ship leasing program.
- Application for Nautical Tourism Activity Certification (in Spanish)
- Additional Documents (in Spanish)
- Act 241 of December 30, 2010 Nautical Tourism Act (in Spanish)
- Regulation 8855 – Nautical Tourism (in Spanish)
Contact:
- Roberto López
- Phone: (787) 721-2400 Ext. 3417
- Email: roberto.lopez@tourism.pr.gov