The Special Education Football Training Program is back! 

The beauty of sports should be experienced by all children despite any differences that may arise. One of the most important aspects of sports is diversity. Every sport should be accepting of cultural, religious and biological differences. The TCIFA Special Education Football Training Program isn’t just accepting of differences but also embraces them. Coaches Ava Robertson and Bertha-Lee Belle possess great experience in coaching children with Down syndrome, autism, and physical disabilities.

The program offers children with special needs the chance to partake in the sport of football within an environment tailored to accommodate their specific requirements. It is led by Coaches Ava Robertson and Berthalee Belle who both possess a strong passion for reaching special needs children and providing them with a fun, suitable environment to play in.

The process for joining the Special Ed. Training sessions require that parents of each child fill out the TCIFA registration form, and sign a waiver. Parents are allowed to register without submitting a donation immediately. Football kits will be received by parents once they are available. Training times are from 4:00pm to 5:00pm during daylight savings time, and 3:00pm to 4:00pm during standard time. They involve football techniques like controlling, receiving, passing, shooting and dribbling, with wach session ending with small sided games.

The Special Education Football Training Program accommodates children as young as 5 years old, extending to teenagers. Moreover, it emphasizes fundamental values like following directions, fostering teamwork, promoting tolerance, respect, and self-care within the curriculum to the fullest extent possible.

Dana Malcolm 
Staff Writer

The Ministry of Tourism is recouping its investment in European advertising as the country is seeing a marked increase in interest from visitors from that continent, according to the Ministry’s Quarterly Report shared with media on Friday, April 5.

Ticket purchases from the UK between January to August 2024 have increased by 54 percent, or over 2,800 more passengers. Nearly every other European destination also recorded upticks.

France is expected to contribute 761  visitors, a 13 percent increase,followed by Italy with  513  passengers (a slight decrease of 11 percent), and Germany, with 436 passengers, a jump of 55 percent.

Other areas with increases were Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands, Iceland, Czechia, Denmark, and Poland. Only Belgium and Italy recorded downturns.

The TCI has a foothold in North America, with the majority of its overnight guests coming in from the US, where direct flights are abundant, and Canada. The local government has expressed serious interest in breaking into the luxury tourism market in Europe.

Reflecting the increase more and more visitors are coming by air already,
“In January, we witnessed a substantial increase,  with  689  flights—an impressive  3.5%  rise compared to the same period in the previous year.  February continued this trend, with 666 commercial flights, marking a remarkable 15% year-over-year increase.  March further solidified this growth pattern, boasting 761 commercial flights, showcasing a commendable  16%  year-over-year surge,” the ministry explained.

By the end of 2024, the country is expecting to welcome 7420 flights which would be a  4.4%  increase over 2023. Whether it is ready for those numbers to pass through its beleaguered airport is another matter as travellers constantly complain about the congestion.

In an attempt to plan for this boom and its effect, a Tourism Capacity Carrying Study is also ongoing. The study will predict what the next 10 years in the Turks and Caicos will look like regarding tourism and how it may affect local life.

Using data from various sources to generate new insights, the study is supposed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the industry on the country.

Three models were developed for the three clear geographical areas where tourists are concentrated: Providenciales, Grand Turk and the  Other  Islands  (North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay).

Each model had specific targets.

In Providenciales, the focus will be on providing affordable housing for workers, sustainable urbanization of the destination, enhancement of regulations about the short-term rental of apartments, and houses in the tourism sector plus land use, particularly about tourism infrastructures and facilities.

For Grand Turk, the cruise capital, with little stayover capacity, the important areas are the preservation of the cultural heritage, housing and tourism infrastructures and land use.
“The aim is to ensure that the cultural heritage of the island is not compromised by population growth and tourism development,” the MoT said.

Finally for the ‘Other Islands’ emphasis is placed on managing human impact on natural resources, the provision of desalination plants, and protecting the flora and fauna.

The capacity carrying report will be provided to the public when complete.

Dana Malcolm 
Staff Writer 

Visitors in the Turks and Caicos will now have direct access to a list of credible taxi drivers with the rollout of a multi-pronged “Rate Your Ride” system. The initiative comes on the heels of an attack on a tourist weeks prior.

The government is providing both information and allowing for feedback from tourists under the new system.

The information rollout via social media instructs tourists on the necessary identification to look for including license plates, TIDES ambassador cards and approved drivers licenses before accepting a ride. It is being shared widely on the government’s social media channels.

Also detailed, is how to use the mandatory tides cards which much be carried by all registered drivers. Each card will have a QR code which will take visitors to a list of approved drivers registered with the ministry of tourism’s regulations department.

The feedback section of the system uses a QR code which leads to a simplified portal allowing guests to use an online forum where they can rate the cleanliness, comfort, safety and professionalism of their drivers.

The ministry has not indicated how these ratings will be collated and whether consecutive negative or positive responses will have an effect on drivers’ public transportation licenses.

The rollout comes days after a New Jersey woman went public about being beaten two weeks ago in an attack by a man claiming to be a taxi driver.

Suyapa Ramos went to ABC news with her story after she was brutally assaulted. The woman said the attacker growled as he beat her, but was adamant that there were no sexual advances.

”I fought for my life, it was so scary to feel yourself so close to death,” the mother said after leaving the Turks and Caicos.

Police arrested her alleged attacker Davidson Martin, who Ramos says pretended to be a taxi driver. Residents say he is an illegal jitney, part of a group of mainly men who operate unlicensed cars as public transport vehicles while not having the legal right to do so.

Some may just be trying to make a quick buck but others have more nefarious plans evidenced by repeated warnings from the police to residents.  Early this year, at least two women reported being assaulted by a male driver operating a jitney; one had to jump from the moving car.

It’s clear with the new rollout, the government is hoping to avoid the confusion which can be dangerous.

The QR codes are available on the government’s social media at My Experience TCI on Facebook.