#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – August 25, 2020 – Turks and Caicos has lost $94 million in revenue due to Covid-19, the highest percentage loss of GDP in the world according to a news report which extrapolated data quantifying the enormous blow to the industry.
London-based, TTRWeekly.com explains the data is drawn from the World Travel and Tourism Council report on the impact of Covid-19 on the travel industry. The GDP data, said the online article, is taken from the World Bank up to July 2020.
Five Caribbean region countries make the list
of most lost by percentage and overall, the Caribbean islands make up 50 percent of those who have suffered the
highest percentage loss in GDP.
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In that Top 10
world list are also Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia and Grenada.
Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands,
Sharlene Robinson was asked about this ghastly reality.
“Because we are heavily dependent upon
tourism, of course our GDP will be seriously impacted; that is something that I
announced two weeks ago,” said the Premier and Finance Minister in a press
conference today.
In July, the Premier announced the Turks and
Caicos Islands economy contracted by 26 percent since the pandemic gripped the
globe.
It is estimated that travel and tourism has
taken a $195 billion hit in the first four months of 2020 alone due to
Covid-19.
Beaches Resort, TCI largest private sector employer remains closed due to COVID-19 impact on travel and tourism; planned reopening in October
The biggest loss in tourism revenue was over
$30 million, suffered by the United States; the figure in the ESTA (Electronic
System for Travel Authorization) report is reflective of .15 percent of US
annual GDP.
For Turks and Caicos, this meant a 9.23 percent loss in revenue to the country or $94 million.
“CARICOM had put out some figures – putting our
loss in the region in the billions. So we can appreciate that we are just
heavily dependent upon tourism so there will be a serious fall out for us in
loss…”
The country’s Opposition Party Leader and former Finance Minister, Washington Misick, last week said the Turks and Caicos Islands was in a “deep recession.”
The TCI Premier today said, “not yet.”
According to the World Tourism Organization: “International arrivals declined 97% in the month of April,
reflecting travel restrictions in 100% of all destinations worldwide, amid
measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents a loss of 180 million
international arrivals compared to the same period of 2019, which translates
into US$195 billion in lost international tourism receipts (export revenues). By regions, Asia and the Pacific, the first
region to suffer the impact of the pandemic, saw a 51% decrease in arrivals in
January-April 2020. Europe recorded the second strongest decline with 44% fewer
arrivals, followed by the Middle East (-40%), the Americas (-36%) and Africa
(-35%).”
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Turks and Caicos, February 5, 2025 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is investigating the discovery of a decomposing body found in the vicinity of Delco Yard, Snake Hill, Blue Hills.
At approximately 7:45 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2025, officers received information regarding the presence of a body in a ditch near Delco Yard. A team of officers and the TCI Regiment were deployed to the scene.
Upon arrival, officers confirmed the presence of a deceased male wearing black jeans and blue Jordan sneakers. The deceased had a black locks hairstyle. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
If you have any information that could assist in identifying the deceased or in the ongoing investigation, please call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS).
Information can also be shared via the Crime Stoppers P3 app.
Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — Visit Turks and Caicos Islands secured a coveted live television feature for the country Tuesday morning on Live with Kelly and Mark, the American morning show watched by millions and hosted by actors Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.
Content provided exclusively by VisitTCI.com helped promote Turks and Caicos as one of only six destinations the segment highlighted as the best spots for a romantic getaway.
“That’s what it actually looks like,” said Ripa, pointing to the titular VisitTCI.com image of Middle Caicos, while Consuelos mused about the country’s trademark white sand and turquoise water.
The feature comes less than a month after Visit Turks and Caicos Islands collaborated with NBC’s TODAY and Travel + Leisure on a segment that featured the archipelago as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2025.
The Turks and Caicos Islands is a popular destination for weddings, honeymoons, and proposals. Several celebrities have chosen to marry in Turks and Caicos, from model Emma Heming and actor Bruce Willis—a former long-time owner of property on Parrot Cay—to Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry and Amanda Sheppard.
Ripa and Consuelos, who are married, visited the Turks and Caicos for a kid-free getaway themselves in 2009.
Live with Kelly and Mark is one of the most-viewed entertainment talk shows on American television, with an audience of more than 2.5 million total viewers.
The show joins a collection of dozens of media companies and publications that Visit Turks and Caicos Islands has partnered with to promote Turks and Caicos as a leading tourism destination. VisitTCI.com has collaborated with powerhouse publications such as National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, AFAR, and Condé Nast Traveler.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 6th February 2025– Political campaigning is well on the way for Turks and Caicos Islands General Elections that is scheduled to be held February 7th 2025 and the Supervisor of Elections take the opportunity of reminding Candidates, Political Parties and Independent Candidates or anyone associated with them of the need to comply with the provisions of the Election Ordinance, and in particular he reminds what is expected by virtue of Section 81 of the said Ordinance which reads:
Every person who corruptly, by himself or by any other person, either before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly, give or provides or pays, wholly or in part, the expenses of giving or providing any food, drink, entertainment, or provision to or for any person for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person, to vote or to refrain from voting at such election, or on account of such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting at such election;
Every voter who corruptly accepts or takes any such food, drink, entertainment, or provision.
The Supervisor also explained that “Treating” has been illegal for many years and in the past, leading up to the General Election some people choose to ignore the offence of Treating and such behavior he said will not be ignored.
The person offering this kind of inducement is committing a serious criminal offence and so is any member of the public who accepts a gift or cash.
The Supervisor has also warned that he will follow up upon all reports received and will not hesitate to collaborate with the Police to initiate criminal investigation.
Political Party bodies and Candidates should make it known through their organization or campaign machinery of the need to comply with the law so as to uphold the law and ensure a level playing field between campaigns in the best interest of voters in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Anyone who is found guilty of Treating under the Election Ordinance shall on summary conviction be liable to a fine of $5,000 or to imprisonment for twelve months or both.
Please avoid any activity that attracts the attention of treating and any other provision of the Election Ordinance