TCI News
TCI: Natural Capital Accounting
#Providenciales, February 21, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – MThe Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime and Gaming’s Department for Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR), supported by the UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), have produced the first national Natural Capital Account (NCA) for Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) measuring the benefit that the environment provides to TCI[1].
The recently completed NCA for 2017 found that the environment supports over $100 million annually to TCI through tourism, fishing, agriculture and recreational benefits to residents[2]. The initial account presents preliminary results and lays the foundation for improved management of TCI’s environment. A workshop is being conducted on February 20th and 21st to build capacity for government practitioners to further develop and use NCA to inform policy and planning.
NCA is a way of managing the environment, by combining ecological and economic data to better understand the value that the environment provides. This is done through the production of structured accounts which can be used to inform policy and planning decisions. By using the principles of environmental economics to understand the value of the environment, NCA is a leading-edge approach to monitoring the benefits of a nation’s environmental assets, in parallel to other national accounts, such as GDP (which measure the value of a nation’s economy). Better environmental management, informed by these accounts, can create benefits such as improved coastal protection, greater tourism potential, plentiful fish populations, a reduction in erosion, sustainable material production, and better air and water quality. This will improve both the sustainability of a nations’ environment, and the prosperity of its people.
Director of Strategic Policy and Planning, Mrs. Kathleen Forbes stated, “The environment is pivotal in providing TCI with much of its national wealth and well-being. It is therefore fundamental that it is considered equally with the nation’s other assets in policy and planning. NCA provides a useful and practical holistic tool we can use to help bring environmental data into national accounts to better invest for the future.”
The objective of the workshop is to provide knowledge and skills to facilitate the introduction and utilisation of NCA in TCI and how it may be applied to create meaningful impact in policy and planning. As such, practitioners will gain experience in collecting, processing and linking data collection activities to the decision-making processes. The workshop is designed for cross-department technical experts from within TCI Government to build capacity so that practitioners will be equipped with the ability to take the NCA process forward in TCI. This will begin with the development of the updated NCA for 2018, and a strategy to further improve and embed NCA to help support effective decision making from 2019 and beyond.
Minister with responsibility for Tourism and the Environment Hon. Ralph Higgs commented; “We are pleased to receive the support and assistance of the JNCC for the development of the country’s first National Capital Account. Natural Capital underpins the socioeconomic development of countries and is critical in maintaining resilience to natural and human elements. This document will aid and provide insight to ensure strategic decisions are made in the best interest of our people and country towards the protection and sustainability of our environment.
Release: TCIG
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.
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