“Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.” (“Go tell your granny that we’re going to be the SUPER BOWL’S HALFTIME SHOW.”) And with that, Bad Bunny is taking with him the entire island of Puerto Rico on another step up the rung of fame—and entertainment history. But, of course, much like the much-vaunted Taylor Swift effect, his reach doesn’t stop with entertainment, as it’s permeating everything from tourism to the economy to the placement of this tiny but mighty 100×35-mile island.
A record-breaker in more ways than you can count on one hand—think multiple Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Lo Nuestro Awards—Benito Ocasio Martinez, AKA Bad Bunny, has made headlines for his beats as well as for his advocacy of the LGBTQI+ community and his stance on economic inequality and gentrification. He’s not shy about peppering his speech, his public appearances and his music with protests and encouragement to take public action, which has endeared him to Boricuas at home—particularly those who feel the Island is losing its “Puerto Rican-ness” to colonization—and those abroad, who are fierce in their devotion to their culture. Benito’s entire album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is, in fact, a love letter full of longing, nostalgia and pride. He also used it as a reminder of how much was still left to do in the wake of Maria, the catastrophic 2017 hurricane that nearly wiped Puerto Rico off the Caribbean map.
For those who don’t know me, soy Boricua, pa’ que tú lo sepas—I’m a Boricua. I’ll be perfectly honest and say many of his lyrics aren’t my favorite (though there’s no denying my feet love the beat); however, his undeniable love for our Isla, our culture, our people and our music has made him a hero in my book. And, as many have said, he has done more to put Puerto Rico on the map for travelers around the world than any other single entity or individual.
Bad Bunny: The Residency Heard Round the World
Benito was fresh off his 30-show No me quiero ir de aquí (I Don’t Want to Leave Here) residency in San Juan, capped with a record-breaking encore on Amazon when his Super Bowl Halftime Show announcement came through.
“Having a global music icon from Puerto Rico headline one of the world’s largest televised events is more than a cultural milestone, it is a global stage for our Island,” said Jorge L. Perez, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, of the Amazon stream. “With millions of viewers worldwide, this moment showcases Puerto Rico front and center as a destination defined by its culture, music and hospitality. Beyond the pride it brings, this exposure strengthens Puerto Rico’s brand as a must-visit destination and can translate into tangible tourism growth, as audiences everywhere connect with the spirit of our Island. These are the kinds of powerful moments that inspire travel and deepen appreciation for Puerto Rico’s unique story.”
It was just this year that Benito finally ceded the top spot of “most-streamed global artist” to Taylor Swift—though it’s important to note he has more than retained his title of number one most-streamed Latin artist globally for years, according to Spotify. This gives him an unparalleled reach, and he has used that to his advantage not just to sell his music but to offer Puerto Rico millions of dollars in spillover cash and place the island at the top of bucket lists everywhere.
Let’s do some numbers: $733 million is the estimated amount generated for Puerto Rico’s economy (according to a new study by Gaither International, that’s way above the original $200 million estimate); 600,000 is the estimate of people who flew to the island just to attend the concert, mainly from mainland U.S., Europe and Latin America; over a hundred thousand were the people left on the virtual waiting lists for tickets; and 130 to 174 percent was the increase in short-term rentals during July and August of this year compared to last, according to Discover Puerto Rico.
The entity, by the way, poured itself into capitalizing on this opportunity, creating a three-pronged plan that began early in the year: to promote lesser-known regions of Puerto Rico to visitors through targeted online content on its website that included an interactive music console and recommended itineraries, thus spreading the economic love; to encourage off-island concert-goers to come early and stay late; and to educate locals and tourists on the symbiosis of being good guides and custodians of our music and culture and how to treat us with respect.
One look at the numbers shows the program was a success.
Benito, on his end, is being true to his word of never forgetting his roots. Through his Good Bunny Foundation (est. 2018), he’s directing millions from his Amazon partnership and beyond to “to empower children and young people from resource-limited sectors in Puerto Rico to develop in music, arts and sports.”
The Bad Bunny ‘Bounce’ Beyond La Isla
As with other megastars, El Conejo’s concerts generate immense revenue, with tickets selling out within minutes (80,000 in Chile in 2022, for example), resulting in the requisite spillover to hospitality, transportation, retail, merchandise, restaurant and related industries.
The most recent recipient of this largesse has been Santa Clara, California, which will host Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026. According to real-time data pulled from Booking.com, within hours of the announcement of Bad Bunny headlining the Half Time Show, there was a massive—and unprecedented—spike in interest in traveling to Santa Clara: searches to the destination by U.S. travelers were up 501 percent year-over-year for February 2026, while searches by global travelers were up 473 percent for the same period.
As they say back home: vamo’allá (let’s go).
