TCI News
Four environmental projects approved for funding in Turks and Caicos by the UK
#Providenciales, March 25, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Out of 17 conservation projects approved for funding by the United Kingdom, the Turks and Caicos islands has managed to secure four awards.
“The United Kingdom Government’s Darwin Plus funding agency has just announced funding for 17 conservation projects worth more than $4.5 million in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) is proud to announce that the Turks & Caicos Islands have successfully secured four projects with our various project partners.”
The projects are: Developing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tools for Turks and Caicos; Restoration of Wetlands; Sustainable solutions for Sargassum inundations and a Frigate Bird tracking project.
The DECR, in a media release shared the advantages to not only winning the extra funding to pursue the projects but their value for the Turks and Caicos and the wider Caribbean.
About the two-year mapping project, it is explained, “this project builds a Territory to Territory partnership between SAERI in the Falklands Islands and DECR in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to Develop Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tools for TCI to feed into long-term planning and decision-making in the marine environment.”
It is established that wetlands are more than integral habitats, they are protection and the project to restore them is a fantastic stride, “the DECR will be working with partners to restore and safeguard wetlands of the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The project aims to improve ecological status and climate-resiliency of wetlands through better recognition, protection, and restoration of wetland biodiversity and ecosystem functions at key sites across the Caribbean UKOTs.”
Sargassum is everywhere and while there are debates about whether it should stay on the beach which is both aesthetically and aromatically unappealing, there is the argument that sargassum and seaweed help to keep sand on the beach as protection from wind erosion.
“Sustainable solutions for Sargassum inundations in Turks & Caicos, aims to assess the macro-algae beach from environmental and socio-economic perspectives and implement viable, sustainable, management strategies benefiting the natural environment and reducing dependence on oil.”
UK overseas territories will synergise for the frigate bird tracking project, explained the DECR.
“…the DECR will be collaborating on a project that considers regional-scale marine conservation through multi-territory tracking of frigate birds. The project aims to improve the ability of managers and policy makers in the Caribbean UKOTs, and more widely, to recognize, designate and protect vulnerable ecosystems offshore, nearshore and onshore.”
Minister for Environment, Hon. Minister Ralph Higgs, thanked partners in the approved conservation initiatives including: Darwin and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), who administer the fund, with additional funding support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development (DFID) for the funding award.
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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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