TCI News
TCI: Lit’l Chefs In Full Force This Summer
#Providenciales, July 13, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – The Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association’s Hospitality Adventure kicked off their exciting summer camps this week with a group of aspiring junior chefs from across the islands.
Enthusiastic youngsters are being given the opportunity to sharpen their culinary skills, learning the basics of the profession in two camps this year. The first camp, which began on Monday, July 9th and will run through Friday, July 13th, welcomed the first group; the Jr. Lit’l Chefs. This program is specifically designed for students between the ages of 12-14 and will serve as an introductory course with hopes to garner more interest in the field.
The second camp, which is the advanced segment of the program, is set to start on July 22nd and will welcome young cooks between the ages of 15-19 for an in-depth look into the culinary field, as well as offer one-on-one coaching and a sleep-in camp experience. Each week will culminate with a Mystery Black-Box Competition where one winner from the residential camp ages 15 – 19 will join the TCI Culinary Team making him/her eligible to compete with the team at the CHTA Taste of The Caribbean in Miami, June 2019.
CEO of the Turks and Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association [TCHTA], Stacy Cox, commented on the kids’ excitement to be a part of these programs, “The level of enthusiasm and passion showcased this week is not only inspirational, but aspirational. We aim to spark interest and develop talents that will turn into a lifelong passionate career, and our goal is to provide programs and activities that lead to complete development and empowerment of our country’s talented youth.”
The eager group of nearly 20 students that comprise both camps have all shown keen interest in pursuing a career in the culinary field. During the programs they will be hosted and mentored at several TCHTA member hotels and restaurants on Providenciales.
“Our Culinary Camp is instrumental in the development of younger chefs; as the country grows so too does our tourism product and the demand for local trained chefs. Both camps allow budding chefs to sharpen their culinary skills while being mentored by some of the best in the culinary field in Providenciales.” She continued, “We are grateful to those who give their time to mentor and teach so that the students can enhance their skills, we thank all of the chefs involved for their passion and their continuous hard work year after year with this program and we especially thank our members for their continuous support.”
This year, TCHTA members including Seven Stars Resort, Beaches Turks & Caicos, The Palms, Amanyara, IGA, The Source Villas, Bianca Sands Resort, Parrot Cay and Grace Bay Club have come together to teach the youngsters basic cooking methods, plating techniques, butchery, baking, the basics of stocks and sauces, as well as how to write menus. Safety and sanitation are also a big part of their training. Campers received a full kit to get them on their culinary journey; a formal Chef’s jacket, apron, t-shirts, hat, peeler, paring knife, bread knife, chef knife, boning knife, thermometer, kitchen towel and duffle bag.
“TCI Hospitality Adventure is the springboard for the Turks and Caicos Culinary Team and by extension Taste of the Caribbean,” Cox noted. “We had so many success stories from the culinary camp since its start in 2012; many of our former Lit’l Chefs are now part of the culinary departments 
at our member hotels or are in university, Chefs such as Martin Wilkiens, Robinangel Simmons, Korea Rolle, Kentisha Hall and Christin Greene and bartender Jean Tissaint, just to name a few, are successful alumni of the program and have competed in several international competitions representing the TCI.”
TCI Hospitality Adventure program has long been supported by members of the TCHTA. The organization has hosted three major annual fundraising events to help finance the initiative; the annual Taste of Tapas, Chefs on the Beach and the Golf Scramble assist the TCHTA with covering expenses of the camp, continued development, and the cost associated with travel to competitions. They are inviting members of the community to graciously support these fundraisers. Persons are encouraged to buy tickets to the upcoming Chefs on the Beach which is scheduled for Friday July 20, 2017 at the West Deck at the Seven Stars Resort in Grace Bay.
For more information about the upcoming event, interested persons and organizations are encouraged to call the TCHTA office on 339-5787 or visit their social media pages.
Release: TCHTA
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.
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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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