Discover Puerto Rico launches ‘Awaken Your Senses’, a global campaign based on consumer psychology | News
Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s official destination marketing organization, today announced the launch of “Awaken Your Senses,” a new global marketing campaign anchored in insights from consumer psychology that positions Puerto Rico as a destination where travelers reconnect with joy, connection and culture through sensory experiences.
The campaign is inspired by using insights from consumer psychology and traveler research that highlight the growing demand for sensory-driven travel experiences. Rather than simply showcasing destinations, “Awaken Your Senses” focuses on how travelers experience Puerto Rico through rhythm, flavor, landscapes and human connection.
“Awaken Your Senses goes one step further by inviting visitors to experience Puerto Rico with all their senses. In a world saturated with notifications, alerts, conflicts and constant distractions, our island offers something different: a place where people can reconnect, live in the moment and rediscover the simple pleasure of truly feeling. Puerto Rico is a destination that encourages travelers to awaken their senses,” said Jorge L. Pérez, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.
The campaign aims to encourage how sensory immersion can contribute to promoting cultural connection. When travelers connect with a destination through multiple senses, from music and food to landscapes and community interactions, their sense of connection deepens and the sense of being an outsider begins to fade.
The announcement comes as Puerto Rico continues to see strong tourism momentum. The island welcomed 8.1 million visitors in 2025, an eight percent increase from the previous year, according to forecasts by Tourism Economics.
Launching today, “Awaken Your Senses” marks the next success of Discover Puerto Rico’s award-winning “Live Boricua” platform. While the previous campaign introduced the world to the island’s vibrant spirit, ‘Awaken Your Senses’ invites travelers to connect more deeply with Puerto Rico through its music, cuisine, natural landscapes and communities across all 78 municipalities.
“At its core, this campaign is about how traveling should make you feel,” said Storm Tussey, Chief Marketing Officer at Discover Puerto Rico. “This campaign doesn’t respond to trends. It responds to a global heartbeat. Travelers are no longer asking where to go, but why they should go at all. They are looking for belonging, connection and meaning, which Puerto Rico naturally provides through its landscapes, music, food, culture and community.”
“’Awaken Your Senses’ is based on consumer psychology research showing that sensory experiences create stronger emotional memories and deeper connections to place,” she continued. “When we invite travelers to feel the rhythm or taste the culture, we are not just promoting a destination. We are offering restoration. We want Puerto Rico to be the place travelers think of when they want to feel alive again. Our job is to ensure that when travelers arrive, they show up as guests who respect our home and contribute to our future.”
Responding to the rise of purpose-driven travel
The campaign comes at a time when travel behavior is changing worldwide. Industry-wide research shows that travelers are increasingly prioritizing immersive experiences, local culture and emotional connection when choosing a destination.
Discover Puerto Rico’s strategy responds to this shift by positioning the island not simply as a destination, but as a place where travelers actively participate.
Through stories that focus on artisans, musicians, culinary traditions and local communities, the campaign emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between visitors and the island. Travelers are encouraged to connect with the people behind Puerto Rico’s culture, from meeting local artisans and supporting small businesses to exploring landscapes that span seven ecosystems across the island.
Building on the “Live Boricua” Foundation.
“Awaken Your Senses” builds on the global recognition achieved by Discover Puerto Rico’s “Live Boricua” campaign, which introduced millions of travelers to the island’s culture and identity.
The new campaign deepens that story by shifting from introduction to immersion. Rather than simply showcasing Puerto Rico’s culture, it invites travelers to experience it firsthand through sound, taste, movement and human connection.
Puerto Rico’s diversity of experiences, from the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. forest system to three luminous bays, vibrant coastal communities and a dynamic culinary scene, inform the campaign’s sensory storytelling.
A long-term strategy for sustainable tourism growth
“Awaken Your Senses” represents the first phase of a three-year marketing evolution designed to strengthen Puerto Rico’s global tourism presence while increasing the economic impact of travel within local communities.
The campaign focuses on a number of key objectives:
Increasing visitor engagement and emotional connection with Puerto Rico
Encouraging longer stays and deeper explorations of the island
Supporting small businesses and cultural creators
Encouraging sustainable visitor spending that benefits local communities
The initial campaign rollout will begin on March 10 with the debut of a global halo creative campaign. Beginning April 1, additional targeted storytelling will be rolled out across key audience segments in key domestic and international markets.
Over the next three years, Discover Puerto Rico will continue to expand the campaign with new creative assets, partnerships and digital experiences designed to connect travelers to the island’s culture in more personalized ways.
Celebrating Puerto Rican creativity
Authenticity is at the heart of “Awaken Your Senses,” which was developed in collaboration with Puerto Rican creatives, brands and cultural partners. Local production company World Junkies led the creative production, bringing together Boricua directors, artists and collaborators who were deeply rooted in Puerto Rico’s cultural and creative community.
The campaign also features a curated group of Puerto Rican fashion brands, culinary makers and local businesses, including Al Este, Arrecife, Bike Stop, Bohemia Cocina en Movimiento, Calipso, Carabalí Rainforest Park, Chiringas.com, Conjunto Achiote, Don Q, Elede, El Papelón, Hacienda Siempre Viva, Isleñas, Laid Back, Medalla, Palmeira, Pine Grove Surf Club, Piraguas Viejo San Juan, Rogative and Valija Gitana ensure that the voices shaping modern Puerto Rican culture are at the center of the campaign.
“We don’t present our community as props,” Tussey noted. “They are the voices, directors and architects of this campaign. When we put local businesses and cultural makers at the center, we ensure that the economic and cultural heart of the island remains firmly in the hands of the community.”
“Awaken Your Senses” positions Puerto Rico as a destination where travel goes beyond escape and becomes a way to reconnect with culture, community and the joy of discovery.
For more information about Discover Puerto Rico’s “Awaken Your Senses” campaign, visit discoverpuertorico.com/born-island-movement-modern-traveler.
