TOURISM: Clouds over Puerto Rico

Only a couple of years ago, Puerto Ricans could afford a sunny air of self-satisfaction. Businesses lured by tax benefits and tourists attracted year round by the cool sea and warm weather caused the island's economy to flower brightly. Now Puerto Rico is clouded by recession. Once-thriving garment and shoe industries are suffering from foreign competition, agricultural employment has plunged (soaring costs and shrinking markets soured the sugar industry), and the jobless rate has risen to 13%. Migration to the U.S. mainland, which declined during the boom years, is swelling again. The...

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