Bad Bunny’s residency in Puerto Rico, titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” and held at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan from July 11 to September 20, 2025, has been a cultural phenomenon that has transcended music to become a key economic driver on the island.
According to data from Visa Consulting & Analytics, during the weekends of the event, card spending in areas close to the venue was up nearly 20 per cent on the same period last year.
In addition, the increase in searches for vacation rental type accommodations through Airbnb registered a growth of more than 140% compared to 2024.
The Airbnb platform detailed that more than 10,000 hosts opened their doors for approximately 550,000 visitors during the musical residency. As a result of this influx, lodging reservations spread outside of San Juan, reaching destinations in the north and center of the island such as Vega Baja, San Sebastián and Manatí.
This move has served to distribute the impact of tourism during hurricane season, when hotel occupancy traditionally drops between 25% and 45%.
The numbers left Bad Bunny
While Airbnb reported an impact of US$ 560 million, specialized media and consulting firms differ on the exact magnitude. For example, a study cited by the newspaper Diario Libre estimates a direct economic impact of close to US$ 400 million and an increase of 7% in the local Gross Domestic Product.
The Discover Puerto Rico organization had previously estimated US$200 million for the entire residence. These differences reflect the complexity of measuring the full economic effects of an event of this scale.
This type of residency demonstrates the capacity of the creative industry to transform local economies. The reports highlight that spending was not only concentrated in large hotels or resorts, but that a significant part of it flowed to small businesses, restaurants, cultural activities and more geographically distributed lodging options.
The effect also expanded to the area of digital payments: Visa reported that the use of contactless payments in San Juan grew by more than 70% on the weekends of the event, which also indicates a technological acceleration linked to tourism.
While the economic impact is indisputable, questions arise about sustainability, equity and the balance between mass tourism and local communities. According to some analyses, the boom in vacation rentals may also put pressure on real estate prices for regular residents.
However, Bad Bunny’s residency puts Puerto Rico on the global radar as a venue for major international events and opens the door for the design of cultural tourism models with more community impact.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
