TCI News
Million dollar marketing plan, Government Budget gives slight boost to TCI Tourist Board
#GrandTurk, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday July 11, 2018 – Just under $1 million will be spent on marketing and promotions through the TCI Tourist Board announced Premier Sharlene Robinson, who on Tuesday presented her Government’s fiscal plan in the 2018-2019 Budget Communication. 
An over two hour speech was delivered on Tuesday afternoon at the House of Assembly in Grand Turk, in a sitting which was historically carried on live video stream on the newly launched HOA website.
The Tourist Board was identified as being a hard working entity, with need of resources to capture and build on visitors to the territory, which is home to the World’s #1 Beach, #GraceBayBeach.
Premier and Finance Minister Robinson said, “We all know Mr. Speaker, that tourism is the lifeblood of our economy; and we are satisfied that the tourist board is doing a lot of work to properly position the Turks and Caicos in the travel marketplace.
TCI Tourist Board Director: Ramon Andrews and US Region Marketing Manager: Pamela Ewing at Virtuoso NYC
We have an experienced team of professionals at the board; and we have a Minister who has come from that background with a wealth of experience to help guide the further development of the industry.
This year we will forward 3.3 million dollars to help in its operations. A third of that will go to marketing and promotions, as we seek to improve the number of visitor arrivals.”
Tourism arrivals for the Turks and Caicos were down for 2017, as reported by the Turks and Caicos Weekly Newspaper; the source was identified as the TCI Tourist Board. An excerpt from an article in February this year explains:
“In 2017, 1,243,843 visitors came to the Turks and Caicos Islands by both land and sea. When compared to 2016’s arrivals of 1,300,575, this is a four percent decrease for 2017.”
The four percent decrease is attributed to the sharp dip in arrivals in the aftermath of back to back encounters with historic hurricanes Irma and Maria; both slamming the Turks and Caicos Islands in September 2017.
The information within the news story points to an increase in arrivals for August 2017 by 14 percent; a drop in September 2017 by a whopping 94 percent; another major decrease was recorded in October 2017 with 46,135 less guests to the country, a 67 percent drop when compared to the year before and November 2017 saw another double digit decline at 12 percent fewer tourists than the previous year.
Hon Ralph Higgs, Minister of Tourism
The Premier explained that, “We are not only seeking to consolidate our traditional markers, but also looking to expand into new areas. The core of our market will always be the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom; but there are opportunities in South America, other parts of Europe and Asia that we can better position ourselves to exploit.”
Stronger spending will come in marketing the destination on social media.
“Increasing spend on the use of social media must be an integrate part of marketing this destination. And we must engage partners in that regard.”
The $3.3 million represents a slight increase for the TCI Tourist Board in this fiscal year.
Her Excellency the Governor is pleased to announce that following an expressions of interest process, and in accordance with Section 5 of the Financial Services Commission Ordinance 2007, Mr Dimaggio Rigby, Mr Geoff Scott and Mr Dennis Swann, have been appointed to serve as Commissioners on the Financial Services Commission Board of directors.
Mr Rigby brings specialist experience in cyber, media, and technology risks. He is currently employed in the City of London as a Cyber Insurance Market Consultant.
Mr Scott is a financial services professional with over 30 years’ successful track record in banking. He currently leads the Bermuda Bankers Association and was, until August 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of the Insurance Cooperation of Barbados Limited (ICBL).
Mr Swann is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. He has expertise in Human Resources and worked for the Bank of Nova Scotia for 12 years. He has previously worked within the TCI FSC.
Commenting on the appointments, the Governor said:
“Following consultation with the Hon. Premier (in his capacity as th
e Minister of Finance) and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, I have appointed Mr Dennis Swann, Mr Dimaggio Rigby and Mr Geoff Scott respectively, to serve as Commissioners (non-executive directors) on the Board of the Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC). I am confident that the combined experience of these three new Commissioners will help ensure the FSC delivers our vision for a technologically advanced financial services sector that is competitive and supports growth, is well regulated while agile and internationally respected.
I would like to thank Mr Keno Forbes for his previous service as a Commissioner.”
The appointments are for a three-year period, beginning in April 2024. Further details on the work of the Financial Services Commission can be found at TCIFSC.
Wednesday, April 17th 2024 – On Monday the 15th April at 11 am, the Turks and Caicos AIDS Awareness Foundation (TCAAF) unveiled their new brand to their supporters, members, the media, government departments and partnering NGO’s. The TCAAF, which is now the Turks and Caicos Health and Wellness Foundation (TCHWF) welcomed everyone to their new office which is oblique to the Edward Gartland Youth Centre, Downtown, Providenciales.
The TCHWF was founded in 2003 and is a registered non-profit organization in the TCI and a registered 501 (c) non-profit in the United States as well. TCHWF will focus on addressing broader health and social issues driven by the intersectionality of health and social factors, and disparities in services in the TCI.
At the ceremony, Dr. Dawn O’Sullivan, who provides medical care to persons living with HIV (PLHIV) through the Foundation and will continue to be the doctor on staff for TCHWF, gave the audience an insight on how the Foundation began. Dr. O’ Sullivan praised the board members, staff and volunteers for the success of the Foundation, which includes building the Edward Gartland Youth Centre. She explained that the rebranding was necessary since HIV is a chronic disease where you can take medication and live a long and healthy life, but support is needed for all persons living with chronic diseases and for the population that feels excluded or stigmatized.
TCHWF will provide holistic care to these populations. The new TCHWF office is comprised of a doctor’s office where patients can have consultations and be treated, and other comfortable spaces where persons can relax and unwind.
Nurse Nora Tyndall briefed the attendees on the services that the Foundation currently offers, such as the donation of a CD4 machine to the government so that patients can know their CD4 count before seeing the doctor. Other services being offered are free medical consultations, improved access to treatment and care, convenient access to medications, food cards, grocery distribution and the provision of formulas to infected mothers who give birth and cannot breastfeed. Nurse Tyndall highlighted that there is an increase in the number of pregnant women living with HIV in the TCI.
The new mandate of TCHWF is “Linking Lives, Transforming Communities”, the Foundation’s mission is to expand its services to connect HIV and non-HIV persons to entities and experts that can address varying needs.
The Executive Director of TCHWF, Anansa Jervis, highlighted the Foundation’s “aim to promote access to quality health services, information and education in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” Mrs. Jervis further explained that this would mean the need to “integrate HIV services and non-HIV services by increasing access to holistic and comprehensive health services needed for PLHIV and persons not living with HIV.” In this regard, the TCHWF intends to provide linkage to:
▪ The cultivation of youth empowerment and the development of life skills
▪ Health, hygiene, education and wellness strategies tailored to the needs of young women
▪ Care and support services for survivors of domestic violence
▪ Mental health, psychosocial services and recovery support services for persons with substance use disorders.
▪ Equitable access to HIV care and support services, addressing disparities.
To achieve these linkages, the Foundation has held discussions with various NGO’s and government organizations to provide the necessary services and support to persons with varying needs.
One of the Board Members of the Foundation, Giovanni Delancy, gave the closing address by expressing thanks to God, the members, staff, media and volunteers for attending the unveiling ceremony. He closed with “we will continue to bring awareness and education to those not only with HIV/AIDS but other STD’s and other diseases. Let us continue to make a difference wherever we go.”
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