Bad Bunny’s Residency, Which Added $200 Million To Puerto Rico’s Economy, Wraps Next Week

Sometimes, there is no place like home.

When Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—better known to the world as Bad Bunny—announced his San Juan residency “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”), fans instantly knew it would be more than just a string of 30 concerts; it would be a cultural event.

What they didn’t know? The residency would also be an economic windfall for Puerto Rico, attracting tourists from around the world and injecting nearly $200 million into the island’s economy during a time of year when it typically struggles to attract visitors.

While concerts have become a proven driver of tourism, as demonstrated recently by Taylor Swift’s Era Tour and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. But Bad Bunny’s residency was unique in its setting.

Instead of a global circuit, he asked fans to come to him.

A Residency Rooted in Pride

Bad Bunny has never hidden his love for Puerto Rico. Throughout the lyrics in his music, his interviews, and his activism, he consistently puts his home island at the center of his identity. This year, when he kicked off his thirty-show residency on July 15, it was no different. Spread across multiple nights in San Juan, the shows blended old hits with new tracks from his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Each performance was an unapologetic celebration of Puerto Rican music, culture, and style.

Unlike one-off or two-night stadium shows in which the stars, performers, and crew rush into and out of a city, a residency invites fans to come to the artist. By anchoring himself in San Juan, Bad Bunny gave his supporters from around the world a new and compelling reason to book flights, hotels, and dinners—all while reinforcing his connection to his hometown and showcasing Puerto Rico’s global relevance as a cultural hub.

It is estimated that more than 600,000 visitors—many coming from the mainland United States, Europe, and Latin America— have attended or are expected to attend the San Juan shows, which come to a close on September 14. According to Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s nonprofit tourism board, this influx of fans will have created almost $200 million in direct economic impact. That spending covers everything from the 48,000 hotel stays at a time when bookings are light ahead of hurricane season, restaurant meals and dining, take-home souvenirs, ground and air transportation, and even salsa dancing lessons.

For an island whose economy has long wrestled with the effects and aftershocks of natural disasters, fiscal crises, and inconsistent tourism, this is a very significant boost. One of the most Important details is that the residency was planned during a traditionally slow season for Puerto Rican tourism, meaning the additional revenue filled what would otherwise have been a gap in economic activity.

More Than Just Concert Tickets

By leveraging his celebrity to spotlight Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny effectively rebranded the island—not just as a vacation spot, but as a global stage for music and creativity, mirroring what Las Vegas has long since perfected: using star-powered residencies to keep visitors flying in. But in Puerto Rico, the resonance is deeper. Bad Bunny is not an outside star being paid to boost a city’s profile; he is a native son returning home, channeling his success into tangible impact for his community by turning fandom into an economic stimulus, and in doing so, setting a new bar for how artists can invest in their communities.

Puerto Rico’s real win lies in how the residency reimagined what it means to use celebrity power for cultural and economic transformation.

Visitors who flew in for the shows often stayed for days, extending their trips into complete vacations. Beaches, museums, nightlife districts, and small businesses all saw surges in traffic. Restaurants in San Juan reported weeks of full bookings. Airbnbs and hotels enjoyed occupancy rates that rivaled peak holiday periods. Even local artisans and street vendors benefited.

As governments and tourism boards worldwide search for ways to stimulate their economies, the lesson from Bad Bunny’s residency is clear: cultural capital is economic capital. When an artist’s brand aligns with a place’s identity, the results can be transformative.

Now that the lights are set to dim, the question remains if word-of-mouth and social media buzz can position the island as a destination of choice for international travelers in the future, showing that Puerto Rico is, and can continue to be, a destination of world-class events with global impact.