Puerto Rico is heading into the holiday season ahead of last year, with air and cruise arrivals up 2 per cent, the island's tourism chief has said.

Willianette Robles Cancel, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, told The Weekly Journal that the island was outpacing last year's holiday-season figures. She estimated that 2.6 million tourists would arrive by air and a further 400,000 passengers through cruise ports during the holiday season.

Robles Cancel said higher flight costs driven by rising oil prices had not reduced arrivals. She said the situation in the Middle East affected the whole air travel industry alike, and that airlines were adjusting capacity and prices. "I wouldn't say it's having a negative impact, because people continue to travel and continue to arrive, and the numbers reflect this," she said.

Christmas campaign launches on Friday

Ahead of the season, the Tourism Company has launched a holiday campaign, "La Trulla más Grande del Mundo", after an investment of nearly $200,000. It highlights Puerto Rican music through cultural events and seasonal festivals, with VoyTuristeando trullas bringing traditional parrandas to towns and tourist regions. The campaign includes an original song and a holiday songbook, and Robles Cancel estimated a return on investment of between $800,000 and $1 million.

The campaign officially kicks off on Friday, 13 November, at the Paseo de la Princesa in Old San Juan, alongside the traditional Christmas lighting at La Fortaleza, which begins at 6pm. Trullas will travel to Lajas, Camuy and Juncos, the Moca Christmas Festival, Barranquitas, San Germán and Aibonito, running through Epiphany and the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián.