SAN JUAN, P.R. - Old San Juan's cobblestone streets, Spanish architecture and popular attractions like the 16th century El Morro fort draw an estimated 5.2 million visitors every year.

  • Tourists in Puerto Rico find island working to rebuild image
  • Cruises bringing more than 1.2 million to island so far this year
  • Spectrum News Florida will shine a light on the rebuilding and recovery in Puerto Rico and its impact here in Florida, Wednesday at 7 p.m: "Hurricane Maria: Healing a Humanitarian Crisis"

"Very different from what I expected," said Michigan visitor Ingmar Pack.

What tourists find here today is an island working overtime to rebuild its image.

"We're no longer transmitting that message of recovery because we’re way past that in terms of tourism," said P.R. Tourism Company Executive Director Carla Campos.

The head of Puerto Rico’s tourism agency says the island is capitalizing on all the attention it received after hurricanes Irma and Maria. Campos tells Spectrum Bay News 9, cruising is on pace to break records this year, with more than 1.2 million passengers so far.

"That audience has been able to look at PR as a trendy destination to come and see out of curiosity but also to explore everything it has to offer in the short term," Campos said.

Hotels damaged by the storms saw it as an opportunity to not just repair, but refresh. A few like the Dorado Beach- A Ritz Carlton Reserve, and St. Regis are finally scheduled to reopen in October after undergoing extensive renovations.

The El San Juan Hotel is planning on a grand reopening this winter.

However, some say local tourism isn’t faring as well. On the frontlines, Jonathan Gonzales knows that all too well. He runs a piragua cart, selling shaved ice treats in Old San Juan. 

Gonzalez says the big financial hit from the hurricanes is keeping many locals away.

"They had to spend their money repairing their houses so a lot of people can’t come and enjoy these things in Puerto Rico," he said. 

Tourism is a $4 billion industry in Puerto Rico. A year after Irma and Maria, the industry is on the rebound, trying to reinvent after disaster. For Puerto Ricans like Gonzalez, it can't happen soon enough.