Puerto Rico sees increase in cruise ship visits

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Officials in Puerto Rico say the number of summer cruise ship passengers visiting the U.S. territory has increased in the past three years.

Port Authority Director Victor Suarez says more than 175,000 passengers visited the island in July and August, a 28 percent increase from the same period last year and a 135 percent increase from 2012.

Suarez said Friday that through the first eight months of the year, the number of cruise ships visiting Puerto Rico increased by 41 percent over 2013 and by 126 percent compared with 2012.

Puerto Rico is preparing for the first visit of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, which can carry more than 6,000 passengers. The government is expanding a pier in historic Old San Juan to accommodate ships of that size.