TCI News
TCI: Constitution Review committee Public Meeting
#Providenciales, October 14, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – By a Joint Press Statement on Wednesday 2nd October 2019, the Hon. Premier Mrs. Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition Mr. C Washington Misick OBE, on behalf of the governing PDM and the Opposition PNP announced the appointment of a Constitution Review Committee formed to conduct consultations throughout the Islands on proposed constitutional changes to our constitution.
The Members as announced were:
Hon Sean Astwood, Deputy Premier
Hon Douglas Parnell, Elected Member for Cheshire Hall and Richmond Hill
Hon Akierra Missick, Elected Member for Leeward and Long Bay and
Hon. R Donhue Gardiner, former Minister for Border Control
On Friday 4th October 2019, the Hon. Premier and the Hon. Leader of the Opposition on behalf of their respective political parties, appointed Mrs. Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE, QC, Hon. Attorney General to be the Chair of the Constitution Review Committee and this was subsequently publicly announced in the House of Assembly on Monday 7th October 2019.
The Attorney General has not been involved in the discussions between the parties and the proposals are not those of the Attorney General. The proposals being consulted on are those agreed by the two political parties to be put to the public for consultation. The Attorney General is supported by the Principal Legislative Drafter in the Attorney General’s Chambers, Ms. Desiree Downes MBE.
Both the Hon. Premier and Hon. Leader of Opposition are assisting the Committee in their consultative from time to time. The Premier’s Office is facilitating the work of the Committee.
The remit of the Committee is to:
1) Reintroduce the public to the current proposals before the UK;
2) Educate on areas of proposed new submissions and
3) Receive recommendations.
The work of the Committee began on October 7th, 2019 with a town hall meeting on Grand Turk and the Report will be completed by October 31st, 2019. Once the Report is completed, it will be forwarded to HM Government and a TCI Delegation will travel to make representations during the month of November.
The following public meetings are being held around the Islands:
October 7th Grand Turk
October 11th South Caicos
October 16th Middle Caicos and North Caicos
October 21st Providenciales
October 25th Salt Cay
The work of the Committee follows earlier submissions for constitutional amendment in 2015 and in 2018. The United Kingdom rejected the 2015 proposals and has invited the Turks and Caicos Islands to revisit what would be proposed on the basis of agreement between the political parties as to the final proposals to be considered by the UK before any further discussions.
Since that time, the Opposition and the Government met over the summer months and the Proposals submitted for consideration by the public are as a result of these meetings and these proposals have not all found agreement among the political parties but they have agreed to consult the public on them.
The Committee welcomes written submissions from member of the Public by no later than 26th October 2019 on the email address consultation@gov.tc.
Release: TCIG
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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