TCI News
TCI: Give Belongers Amnesty Too – Says Attorney Mark Fulford
#Providenciales, March 6, 2019 – Turks and Caicos –
THE AMNESTY FIGHT: RIGHT FOR THE WRONG REASONS AND LIMITED IN SCOPE – GIVE BELONGERS AMENESTY ON GOVT DEBTS TOO
by- Mark A. FULFORD LLB
The recent Amnesty Bill passed by the Turks and Caicos parliament on the 4th of March 2019, has caused some consternation. The government says it was necessary as a part of doing business. The Opposition responds that it should have been done in a more prudent and transparent manner.
What if both parties have missed the point?
The current Government says previous administrations got the valuations of tax rates wrong over the years, including the Interim Government i.e. The British. They all failed year-after-year to identify the miscalculation or the “handshake agreement” upon which it was based.
Both parties may have missed the real issue. There maybe two solutions that includes Belongers and is fair to all Turks and Caicos Islanders:
I. The Government is right: governments of both parties and the Interim Government, led directly by the British missed this issue. As such, there should be no pointing of fingers at anyone. The Government is also right that in business (and reality), one must make decisions based on the larger picture, rather than narrow concerns or political emotions.
Let’s take Beaches for example, which is large and dominant because they are the best at what they do. Every other international brand in this region has fallen into bankruptcy, except Beaches.
In practical terms Beaches brings the most tourists to our shores. If Beaches accounting says that we have priced them out of the market, we must remember that affects the airlifts to our shores. This means that Beaches is actually caught between the TCIG and the airlines. Any good government understands these levels of pressure and knows that too much tax, too much red tape, means not only Beaches but eventually airlines will abandon the Turks and Caicos Islands, which presents an even bigger problem.
II. However, the Opposition is also right: More should have been done to gain a specific understanding of the actual accounting behind the Amnesty Ordinance. Governments should never try to solve just the problem before them. But a progressive government would have used this problem of misevaluation of tax, to do a “Super Development Agreement” with Beaches and other Accredited Hotel Properties which would craft a solution that will provide a stable stream of revenue for the next 10-15 years.
I am aware how fast things change, but that only means our foresight and adaptability must be on the cutting edge, so that we can create e a new model for the hospitality industry that present and new investors find attractive and will flock to our shores.
The Opposition is also right to have raised the point – argued by its leader the Hon. Washington Misick MP – that provision be made for the “little man” in this extension of Amnesty. I don’t think we went far enough and it may be a legal question.
Under the TCI Constitution (2012 Edition), the rule against discrimination is clear: No benefit can be extended to one Turks and Caicos Islander that is denied or even not extended to any other. (Under our law, Mitt Romney is right, companies are citizens). Therefore, the Opposition should have demanded and the Government should have proposed that every Belonger, whether in arrears for NIB, NHIB, Business License, Crown Land Lease etc. should all be extended Amnesty on the same terms given to the 21 entities to whom this Ordinance applies.
Since the government argues that the People of Turks and Caicos will lose no principal under the Ordinance, but the companies will have the benefit of time through an extended grace period, it is my view that the same grace is the constitutional right of every Belonger and should be extended to all of us.
Mark A Fulford
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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