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Beaches Resort Turks and Caicos’ Upsurge Philanthropic Spirit

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All-Inclusive resort increase its philanthropic efforts during COVID-19 Pandemic

#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos –May 29, 2020 – Beaches Resort, the leading All-Inclusive resort in Providenciales, may be closed but the hotel’s philanthropic reach and contribution to the Turks & Caicos community during the COVID-19 pandemic is still very active.

This week, the resort and its employees took to the streets to host a much-needed clean-up. Over 34 Team Members donated their exercise hour on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, to collect nearly 140 bags of garbage between Lower Bight, Royal Avenue and the public beach access road as well as the picnic area adjacent to the Key West Village.

Beaches Resort is no stranger to The Bight community clean-up initiative, and its Green Team has been active through the years in keeping that neighborhood clean, while sensitizing its members on the importance of a clean environment to the tourism product. 

Beaches General Manager, Jamie McAnally, who joined the group in the early morning clean-up, said that he is incredibly proud of the team, especially during this challenging time and he applauded their commitment to not only the resort and its mandate, but also to The Bight community.

“I am very proud of the team and the contribution they have made to this clean-up, it’s good to know that even during this challenging time they still have the heart and the spirit to do something good for the community.”

McAnally continued, “The condition of the public beach access road and picnic area was quite disheartening, and in dire need of care, the amount of garbage collected in that small area was immense. As a community, we have to do better to protect this beautiful island. So, I encourage beachgoers to ‘pack out what you pack in’ and leave the area clean for others to enjoy.”

Beaches Resort has been increasing its philanthropic reach since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has assisted its 1,800 plus team members with food and financial support to soften the economic downfall that has affected so many people in the Turks and Caicos Islands. 

Additionally, the resort has been an active contributor several locally run charitable organizations. Over 15 thousand pounds of food items have been donated to charities such as The Salvation Army, TCI Red Cross, The Soroptimist Club, The Provo Children’s Home and The Catholic Mission. These organizations assisted with distributing the donated items to the families that are most affected on Providenciales as well as the sister islands.

“The community clean-up and the meaningful donations show that the resort is keen on playing its part to taking care of and improving the community. We have been working closely with the local charities, who know the grounds and can identify the families that are most affected by the economic downturn of this pandemic,” McAnally continued, “We are excited to say that we have donated over 15 thousand pounds of food items to their pantries and we have seen our donations going to areas where they are needed the most. I am glad that we are able to make a difference through those organizations.”

Magnetic Media is a Telly Award winning multi-media company specializing in creating compelling and socially uplifting TV and Radio broadcast programming as a means for advertising and public relations exposure for its clients.

Caribbean News

Invest Turks and Caicos’ Business Support Unit partners with the Department of Trade to deliver Export Opportunities for MSMEs Training

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, May 19th, 2023 – On Thursday, May 11th, 2023, Invest Turks and Caicos’ Business Support Unit (BSU); partnered with the Department of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition to host the Export Opportunities for MSMEs Training. In attendance were nineteen business owners; who participated in the free, interactive training held at Blue Haven Resort from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

The training was facilitated by Ms. Lisandra Colley, Director of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition. During the training, the participants learned the following:

  • Essentials of accessing the international market
  • Basics of exporting and the benefits of exporting for MSMEs
  • Export opportunities to access the Canadian and UK markets
  • Requirements and procedures for the exportation of goods to Canada and the UK
  • Understand how to use Canadian and UK government interactive tools to export

Commenting on the Training, Director of Trade, Lisandra Colley expressed, “Bolstered by its trade-related technical assistance pillar, the Department of Trade, Industry, and Fair Competition (DTIFC) aims to provide capacity building training and seminars to equip businesses across the TCI to fully participate in the domestic and international trading systems. The partnership between the DTIFC and Invest TCI to host the Seminar ‘Export Opportunities for MSMEs’ epitomizes our shared commitment to empower micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Through this collaborative effort, we provided participants with the essential knowledge and tools needed to access international markets and leverage preferential trading arrangements. By understanding the benefits of exporting, identifying potential markets, and grasping the requirements and procedures for successful export, participants are better equipped to seize opportunities in the Canadian and UK markets and worldwide.”

Anissa Adderley, Director of the Business Support Unit, also provided her feedback on the training “To strengthen the awareness of trade opportunities for MSMEs, the BSU will continue its partnership with the Department of Trade. We invite all entrepreneurs and small business owners to participate in our next collaborative training, to be held Thursday, September 12th, 2023, titled Incorporating Product Standards for Sustainable Trade.

Additionally, we welcome all businesses to take advantage of the free services offered by the Business Support Unit, namely Business Planning, Training, Counselling, Administrative Services, and MSME Programme Recipient Support. We provide the support you need to ensure your business is resilient and sustainable. Let us help you take your business to the next level.”

For more information on Invest TCI events, visit www.investturksandcaicos.tc or follow us on social media at @investtci.

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Caribbean News

TCIG not calling Woman’s injury a ‘Shark Attack’

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By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 25, 2023 – Where and How?  Those are the questions now arising from Wednesday’s marine incident which left a young woman without her foot. The police and one local business say it was a shark attack, another government agency, the DECR was much more vague.

In a press release around midday Thursday, the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources said, “A 22-year-old female visitor from Connecticut was severely injured while snorkeling… The matter is still under investigation by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.”

Missing from that press release any mention of or warning to be careful of sharks.

Big Blue Collective on the other hand in a statement to Magnetic Media that same day said this:

“Only two individuals were in the water, which was clear and calm, when a presumed Caribbean Reef Shark left one snorkeler with an injury due to what is known in diving circles as a case of mistaken identity,” they continued, “The calm, quick and measured response from one of our captains and office team meant that the victim was extracted from the ocean and dispatched in the ambulance in 15 minutes, saving them from a potentially life-threatening situation.”

The communications team at Big Blue Collective stressed to us that this was not to be used to characterize the TCIs waters. Both DECR and Big Blue reminded the public that these incidents are very rare.

The DECR said the incident happened in an area known as the Bone Yard Dive Site, part of the Princess National Park; a protected marine environment.

Photos of the victim’s injury show that her foot, severed completely at the ankle, was thankfully recovered whole.

The Police report had inaccuracies and was retracted last night. However, not before news media locally and abroad reported the facts as laid out by them.

The TCI Hospitals’ statement said, “The patient received immediate medical attention by our Emergency Response trauma team. The patient’s injury is considered serious and, after a period of stabilization, was transferred to a tertiary care facility for further management on that evening, Wednesday, May 24th 2023…”

Sources told our news team the nature of the injury requires a multi-agency investigation to sort out what exactly occurred in the water.

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Caribbean News

Big Blue Speaks, says Caribbean Reef Shark responsible for severed foot

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By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

 

#TurksandCaicos, May 25, 2023 – As international media houses report on the recent marine accident in Providenciales where  a young woman lost a foot, Big Blue Collective Eco Tours is attempting to set the record straight as they defend the marine life and safety reputation of the Turks and Caicos.

They say the young woman was not on a charter trip with their establishment as reported by some media houses, rather she was on a private vessel when she was mistaken for food by what they think to be a Caribbean Reef Shark.

“The extremely rare and unfortunate incident that happened yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 24th May, 2023, in the Turks & Caicos Islands, outside the reef, involving a snorkeler and a shark, occurred during a private trip. Only two individuals were in the water, which was clear and calm, when a presumed Caribbean Reef Shark left one snorkeler with an injury due to what is known in diving circles as a case of mistaken identity.”

The communications team at Big Blue spoke to Magnetic Media on May 25th, the day after the incident. They expressed concern for the victim and her family, maintaining that her safety was the first priority.

They say that it was a very rare freak incident, “The calm, quick and measured response from one of our captains and office team meant that the victim was extracted from the ocean and dispatched in the ambulance in 15 minutes, saving them from a potentially life-threatening situation. We applaud all the efforts of our team, the paramedics, and the emergency first aid responders. Our thoughts are with the victim, their family and loved ones at this time.”

Reports on Thursday explained an investigation was opened to determine how the Connecticut woman was injured; however Big Blue informs only the Police quizzed them for information on the incident.

We are told the young woman was lucid enough to get back to the boat for help when she realized she was injured.  Immediately the team on the boat, which included Big Blue employees, though it was not their charter, jumped into action, retrieving her foot and trying to staunch the bleeding from her limb.

Big Blue told us she was transferred into medical professionals’ care within minutes. Big Blue and the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources are both stressing that incidences of this nature are extremely rare in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and cannot be used to judge the swimming, snorkeling, or overall experience in the country’s waters.

In addition certain marine animals are protected by law in the Turks and Caicos, and should not be hunted or killed for sport, or any other reason without a proper license.

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