Discover Puerto Rico Unveils "Awaken Your Senses" Campaign Rooted in Consumer Psychology
MARKETING
“Awaken Your Senses” is a global campaign that invites travelers to rediscover joy, culture, and belonging through Puerto Rico’s sensory experiences.
Discover Puerto Rico has launched "Awaken Your Senses," a global marketing campaign anchored in consumer psychology insights that positions Puerto Rico as a destination where travelers reconnect with joy, belonging, and culture through sensory experiences. The campaign marks the evolution of the organization's award-winning "Live Boricua" platform.
Psychology-Driven Travel Marketing
The campaign was inspired by consumer psychology insights and traveler research highlighting 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.
Jorge L. Pérez, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, explained the strategic direction. "Awaken Your Senses goes a step further by inviting visitors to experience Puerto Rico through all their senses," Pérez said. "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."
The campaign seeks to demonstrate how sensory immersion fosters cultural belonging. When travelers engage with a destination through multiple senses, from music and food to landscapes and community interactions, their sense of connection deepens.
Strong Tourism Momentum
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 over the previous year, according to Tourism Economics forecasts.
"Awaken Your Senses" builds on the global recognition achieved by Discover Puerto Rico's "Live Boricua" campaign. While the previous campaign introduced the world to the Island's vibrant spirit, the new initiative invites travelers to engage more deeply with Puerto Rico through its music, cuisine, natural landscapes, and communities across all 78 municipalities.
Responding to Travel Behavior Shifts
Storm Tussey, Chief Marketing Officer at Discover Puerto Rico, positioned the campaign within broader travel industry trends. "At its core, this campaign is about how travel should make you feel," Tussey said. "This campaign isn't responding to trends. It's answering a global heartbeat. Travelers are no longer asking where to go, but why they should go at all."
Research across the industry shows that travelers increasingly prioritize immersive experiences, local culture, and emotional connection when choosing where to visit. Discover Puerto Rico's strategy responds to this shift by positioning the Island not simply as a destination, but as a place travelers actively participate in.
"'Awaken Your Senses' is grounded in consumer psychology research showing that sensory experiences create stronger emotional memory and deeper connections with a place," Tussey explained. "When we invite travelers to feel the rhythm or taste the culture, we're not just promoting a destination. We're offering restoration."
Community-Centered Approach
Through storytelling centered on artisans, musicians, culinary traditions, and local communities, the campaign highlights the reciprocal relationship between visitors and the Island. Travelers are encouraged to connect with the people behind Puerto Rico's culture, from meeting local craftspeople and supporting small businesses to exploring landscapes spanning seven ecosystems.
Authenticity is at the heart of "Awaken Your Senses," 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 deeply rooted in Puerto Rico's cultural and creative community.
The campaign features a curated group of Puerto Rican fashion brands, culinary creators, 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.
Three-Year Strategy for Sustainable 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 across local communities.
The campaign focuses on several key goals: increasing visitor engagement and emotional connection with Puerto Rico, encouraging longer stays and deeper exploration across the Island, supporting small businesses and cultural creators, and driving sustainable visitor spending that benefits local communities.
The initial campaign rollout begins March 10 with the debut of a global halo creative campaign. Beginning April 1, additional targeted storytelling will roll out across key audience segments in priority domestic and international markets.
Over the next three years, Discover Puerto Rico will continue expanding the campaign with new creative assets, partnerships, and digital experiences designed to connect travelers with the Island's culture in more personalized ways.
Economic and Cultural Impact
"We are not featuring our community as props," Tussey noted. "They are the voices, directors, and architects of this campaign. When we center local businesses and cultural creators, we're ensuring that the economic and cultural heart of the Island stays firmly in the hands of the community."
Puerto Rico's diversity of experiences, from the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System to three bioluminescent bays, vibrant coastal communities, and a dynamic culinary scene, provides the foundation for the campaign's sensory storytelling.
Discover Puerto Rico is a private, not-for-profit Destination Marketing Organization responsible for all global marketing, sales, and promotion of the destination. The organization works collaboratively with key local governmental and nongovernmental players throughout Puerto Rico's visitor economy to empower economic growth.
More information on the "Awaken Your Senses" campaign is available at discoverpuertorico.com/born-island-movement-modern-traveler.