TCI News
A Statement from the Turks & Caicos Hotel & Tourism Associations
#Providenciales, June 7, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association [TCHTA] is proudly preparing to 
send off the Culinary Team to compete once again in the Taste of the Caribbean competition hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association [CHTA]. This will mark the third year in a row that the Turks & Caicos Islands have been represented in this international cooking competition and the TCHTA is looking to repeat the success of last year and bring home gold medals for our ‘Beautiful by Nature’ islands.
Before the TCHTA took a team to the competition in 2016, our country had not participated in 20 years. Since then, the TCHTA’s efforts to reposition the spotlight on our country’s culinary talent has resulted in our Team bringing home a silver medal their first year back in the competition followed by a gold medal in 2017. Considering the multitude of competitors from across the Caribbean that has been involved in the competition over its 25-year history, this was no small feat.
Each year the TCHTA sends invitations to all of its members inclusive of restaurants with the hopes of assembling a super team of top culinary talent. The success of the Team wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of these members. The organizations that accept the invitation contribute by providing their top chefs and allowing them to participate in training as well as the competition itself. In addition, they provide sponsorship which aids with registration fees, training, and travel.
While it is our hope for every chef in the country to get an opportunity to participate, we encourage restaurants to join forces with the TCHTA as Allied members to further strengthen our Culinary Team’s presence in the international realm while we continue promoting the talents while inspiring our little chefs and becoming mentors for our culinary Adventure programs.
We have always welcomed and expressed keen interest in working with local and influential individuals in the industry who would bring additional talent to the Team and the Junior Culinary Adventure program. The junior program has seen junior chefs such as Robinangel Simons, Martin Wilkins,Christin Greene and Wayne Gardiner and others grow through the ranks and have even represented Turk & Caicos and won gold at several international and regional culinary events.
We are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve, and this year the Culinary Team will be led by Coach Executive Chef Edwin Gallardo of Seven Stars Resort and Chef Colin Watson of Beaches Resort. This incredible leadership from our members is a huge asset and commitment that should be recognized. The team will also feature former Lit’l chefs, Wilkiens Martin and Christin Greene along with current Lit’l Chefs Inga Stubbs and Kevin Missick. Derrick Carter, Aristotle Florida, Joseph Charles, Vadivel Raju and Lauren Callighen.
TCHTA and its member affiliation (membership) with the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association [CHTA], is what allows the Turks and Caicos Islands to take part in the Taste of the Caribbean competition. Taste of the Caribbean is a CHTA initiative and therefore sets all rules and requirement for members to follows. We are fortunate to be able to participate in this initiative of the CHTA whose focus, as is our own, is primarily on private sector partnerships for the promotion of the tourism product.
We are continuously working to improve our tourism product for the advancement of our brand and we welcome our members of the culinary community to have open dialogues and provide feedback to the TCHTA on how we can better represent our brand locally and internationally.
For more information, interested persons and organizations are encouraged to call the TCHTA office on 339-5787 or visit their social media pages.
Release: TCHTA
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Staff of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) participated in a one‑day Professional Staff Development Workshop on Thursday, 19th February 2026. The session was facilitated by former DDME Director (2011–2021) and current Permanent Secretary of the Governor’s Office, Dr. Virginia Clerveaux.
The in-house workshop was organised by the DDME Training Unit, to focus on the National Disaster Management Framework, strengthening staff understanding of their roles and responsibilities within disaster management. The session also aimed to enhance the effectiveness of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and reinforce inter‑agency coordination.
Drawing on her extensive experience in disaster management in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as several deployments to CDEMA member states including Haiti, The Bahamas, and Jamaica, Dr. Clerveaux provided practical insights that reinforced key concepts and clarified operational expectations. Staff members actively participated in discussions and shared recommendations to improve sub‑committee performance and overall departmental efficiency.
To support learning retention, the workshop incorporated pre‑ and post‑assessments, enabling participants to evaluate their understanding and track improvements.
Acting Director of DDME, Mr. Kevaun Lucas stated: “Investing in the continued development of our team is essential to strengthening national resilience. This and future planned workshops will help to reinforce our commitment to building a highly skilled, well‑coordinated workforce capable of leading and supporting disaster management efforts across the Turks and Caicos Islands. I am proud of the team’s engagement and encouraged by the meaningful contributions they made throughout the session.”
This Professional Staff Development Workshop forms part of DDME’s ongoing commitment to enhancing internal capacity, strengthening operational coordination and improving overall departmental synergy as the agency continues to advance national preparedness and response capabilities.
Photo Captions:
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 20 February 2026 — The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU), in collaboration with key
government agencies, coordinated a multi-agency enforcement exercise on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at Block and Parcel 60609/33 in the Five Cays area.
The exercise was led by the Crown Land Unit, pursuant to its statutory mandate under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown land. The ISU coordinated the operation, with support provided by the Planning Department and the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, while the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force ensured security throughout the activity.
The enforcement action followed a series of inspections conducted by the Crown Land Unit throughout Five Cays, which identified several illegally constructed buildings made of concrete and timber on sections of the subject parcel. In keeping with the provisions of the Crown Land Ordinance, occupied structures were served Letters of Illegal Occupation, delivered by hand to occupants and
posted on structures where individuals were absent. Incomplete and unoccupied structures were served Notices of Unauthorized Occupation pursuant to section 22 of the Ordinance. A total of ten (10) Letters of Illegal Occupation and three (3) Notices of Unauthorized Occupation were issued during the exercise.
The Informal Settlements Unit reiterates that these coordinated enforcement exercises form part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to uphold the law, protect Crown land, and manage informal settlements in a structured and lawful manner. Members of the public are reminded that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown land is unlawful and subject to enforcement action.
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.
