TCI News
Invest Turks and Caicos attends Marketing and Small Business Development Conferences
#Providenciales, September 26, 2019 – Turks and Caicos –Invest Turks and Caicos (Invest TCI) is pleased to announce the Agency’s participation in the City Nation Place Latin America and Caribbean Conference (CNP) and the 39th Annual America’s Small Business Development Conference (SBDC).
The CNP conference took place September 2-3, in San Jose Costa Rica, perhaps one of the most successful nation brands in the region. The conference provided a high-level forum for government teams and place marketing organizations to explore successful strategies for tourism and economic development.
Delegates who attended the conference left the event with an improved understanding of how a collaborative approach to place branding can drive economic success – engaging civic pride, attracting talent, providing a more sustainable approach to tourism development, building international reputation, and attracting investment.
Attending on behalf of Invest TCI was Vice President of Marketing and Promotion, Trina Adams-Smith. Mrs. Adams-Smith commented, “CNP was indeed an educational and informative conference. There were many takeaways from this conference, what stood out were the sessions highlighting the need for collaborative place branding to drive economic success for a country. The private and public organizations in the Turks and Caicos Islands can benefit from this school of thought and improve on collaborating its international marketing efforts to build a successful country brand promoting the Turks and Caicos Islands as a prime destination whether for Tourism, Foreign Direct Investment or as a destination to live and work.”
The Agency also participated in the 39th Annual America’s SBDC Conference which took place September 3-6, 2019, in Long Beach, California, at the Long Beach Convention Center. The conference attracted 1,300+ SBDC professionals from all over the nation. Advisors, trainers and directors came together for professional development and networking.
The passion for small business could be seen in the 140+ workshops that overflowed into the hallways, and in the exhibit hall where attendees eagerly mingled with each other and the trade show exhibitors, seeking the latest information on products and services that can ensure the success of their small business clients. The theme of this year’s conference was “Exchange & Experience.”
Attending on behalf of Invest TCI was Alexa Cooper Grant, Vice President of Small Medium Enterprise Development. Mrs. Cooper Grant commented, “This year marks the third year attending the America’s SBDC Conference and each year the experience has been different. This year, not only was I exposed to the latest industry trends and best practices for small business development during the various breakout and networking sessions, but I was also able to complete a two-day intense Certification course in “Mastering Strategy” Strategic Management Performance System(SMPS) offered by LBL Strategies in conjunction with The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. This course was designed for SBDC professionals to develop strategic management competencies and utilizing various strategic tools to help clients succeed. In this hands-on, intensive program, participants had direct access to strategy management experts and forums for peer discussion as they earn a certification in strategy management from the University.
For updates on these conferences and other events, visit our website at www.investturksandcaicos.tc or our social media pages at @investtci.
Release: Invest TCI
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.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
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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