TCI News
FULLFORD CALLS British “Sun-Seeker” STEPHEN TURNBULL’S REPORT A BUNCH OF MALARKEY AS IT RELATES TO LOCAL HEADS’ SALARIES
#TurksandCaicos, March 21, 2018 – Providenciales -Premier Sharlene was right to reject portions of the report of former CFO and Whitehall –appointed mandarin Stephen Turnbull which called for the majority of our Statutory Boards to be scrapped. Having read snippets of the report which surfaced through the various media outlets, one can get the flavour of what this British-appointed sun-seeker was trying to say to and about our people.
It is clear that the intent of the report was simply to echo the common sentiments that the British Government hold about Turks and Caicos Islanders; that Turks and Caicos Islanders live beyond their means, and that we should not be the ones to reap the best of what our land has to offer. To paraphrase Turnbull’s words, salaries paid to Statutory Board employees are too high for Turks and Caicos Islanders.
My response to Turnbull is that his report is a bunch of malarkey – geared towards the orchestration of our local Boards being dismantled and said powers concentrated in the hands of the Governor.
Every Turks and Caicos Islander should be outraged by this report, which seems to suggest that our local people, our heads of these various boards, who all have relevant degrees and qualifications in many cases up to the Masters and PHD levels, should not be paid salaries commensurate with international rates.
It is important to remember also that these comments come from Stephen Turnbull, who, whilst he was the CFO, commanded a salary which far exceeded the measly sums he is complaining are too much for local board heads to be paid. Why didn’t Turnbull object to being paid such an exorbitant salary when he was in the post of CFO? I guess what is good for the foreign goose is not good for the local gander.
The British are very calculating. They retired Turnbull from the position of CFO, but whilst in that position, he agitated for a review of the statutory boards. The British then created the post of Statutory Boards Reviewer and appointed Turnbull to that very position. I have no doubt whatsoever that he is likely being paid a whopping salary, unknown to the public, but for which we nevertheless pay for.
It is clear that this is a conflict of interest and a blatant bias which should not go unchecked. Why is he not protesting to being paid this amount, especially for an unnecessary, non-essential, farcical post such as his? Is he saying that he is entitled to this amount simply because he is British and this amount suits him but at the same time advocating against locals who are in the trenches everyday working to grow the country, and being paid a fair wage for doing it. Mr. Turnbull clearly has an agenda to promote, one that he is being paid handsomely for, to spew this kind of anti-progressive, anti-islander rhetoric.
Further, one must question whether Mr. Turnbull deliberately embellished his report so as to give a scathing and biased review of our statutory Boards, simply to justify the British keeping him in TCI, and so that he can continue to live large off the public purse. It is now clear what the true plot is, and why HMG wanted the PFM Amendment 2 of 2017 to become law.
However, it is yet to be seen if our Government can continue to stave off the British who seem hell bent on insisting that this amendment is made law and that various statutory boards such as the Tourist Board be dismantled, leaving the future of the Country entirely in their hands.
MARK A FULFORD
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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