Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. The downtown area contains the bulk of Ponce's tourist attractions. Tourism has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2007, over 6,000 tourists visited the city via cruise ships. Passenger movement at the Mercedita Airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, a 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all the regional airports for that 5-year period. Though not all of these were tourists, it represents a volume larger than the population of the city itself.
To support a growing tourist industry, around the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce Holiday Inn, several hotels have been built. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce Hilton Golf & Casino Resort, home to the new Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, featuring a 27-hole PGA championship golf course. The Melia Hotel has operated in the city continuously since the early 20th century. The Intercontinental Hotel, which opened in February 1960 and closed in 1975, is under refurbishment and expected to re-open atop the hill near El Vigia as the Magna Vista Resort. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, and Marriott Courtyard, among others. The downtown Ponce Ramada Hotel plans to add a casino to its 70-room structure. Ponce is part of the Government of Puerto Rico's Porta Caribe tourist region.
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Famous quotes containing the word tourism:
“In the middle ages people were tourists because of their religion, whereas now they are tourists because tourism is their religion.”
—Robert Runcie (b. 1921)