TCI News

Letter to the Editor: What about Beaches Turks & Caicos?

Published

5 years ago

October 28, 2020

#October 28, 2020 – Letter to the Editor

The Editor, I listened to the press conference today (October 27 – Premier Press Conference) and heard a lot about nothing at all. The TCIG continues to act like an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand, talking a whole lot of fluff while not talking about the one thing people want to hear about which is, when will Beaches opening and what are you doing to get Beaches open.

Everywhere you go the talk is about when Beaches will open, but not one word in today’s press conference until the reporters had to ask. Why is the government acting blind to the suffering of people who are without jobs, and without incomes. Why is it always kicking the can down the road, and acting clueless whenever someone ask about the closure of the hotels particularly Beaches.

People are fed up. People want to get back to work and people want to see money flowing again. It is no wonder that the people in Beaches are fed up too, and you can see it in the public statements the resort is making. So why did Beaches have to take off its gloves to get any response from the TCIG. It is like the what Magnetic Media wrote just a few weeks ago this is the no reply government.

All the talk of what a good job the government has done and diversification and reserves and all of that is just fluff, it does not impress anybody, and certainly not those people who have no job to go to when tomorrow comes. It is almost insulting to hear the TCIG say that this process is going as fast as it can. The media personnel themselves seemed taken aback by this response, because if this issue can’t be resolved after three or four years then heaven help us.

As for continuing to blame COVID for all the problems, well while that may have been true early in the year, the fact is that hotel sector in countries all over the Caribbean are opening up now and guess who is leading the charge to open, none other than Sandals and Beaches.

Antigua is open. Jamaica is open, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia. Beaches and Sandals have brought back out thousands of people in those islands, and they had to work with those governments to get it done. So when they complain of incompetence on the part of the TCIG is it so hard to see why. The TCI has the biggest and best of the resorts but yet we can’t get it reopened. That means no airlift, no jobs and no revenue.

Saying you care about restoring the economy is one thing, but being able and competent enough to do it is another. From all we have heard about this issue it seems like a very straightforward matter. It does not seem to be as impossible as the government continues to claim.

People are tired of hearing about matters before the courts, and now we hearing of mediation. In fact with respect to the mediation Beaches said it was ready for November 8th and then we hear TCIG pushed it back November 18th. If the resort is to open on November 18th, how could you push back the mediation to November 18th, Make no sense. Is the TCIG serious? Isn’t this exactly what the resort has complained about?

In any event mediation does not promise a solution; it just promises that this matter is going to drag out further, because if it has to go to Cabinet and to the House of Assembly as is reported, then we may not see Beaches reopen this year AT ALL. Let that reality sink in, because the TCI could be facing a very blue, blue Christmas and an uncertain New Year.

Related Topics:#beachesresort #beachesturksandcaicos #lettertotheeditor #magneticmedianews #TCIPremier

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UK still has Turks and Caicos on mandatory quarantine list; BA not returning in Nov.

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Tablets for 40 students so far; help Kiwanis Club of Providenciales donate more

Deandrea S Hamilton

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.

TCI News

VisitTCI and Potcake Place Highlight Growing Homeless Dog Crisis

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Islands could soon be facing a major tourism problem: thousands more stray dogs.

It’s a likely consequence of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ban on US puppy imports, says Potcake Place K9 Rescue founder and director Jane ParkerRauw in a new video produced by Visit Turks and Caicos Islands.

The collaboration between the country’s leading tourism website and the charity dog rescue—which works to reduce the local population of homeless dogs—sheds light on how the CDC ruling has disrupted the charity’s operations and is contributing to an alarming rise in the country’s homeless dogs.

“It’s going to take years of getting back from [the progress we’ve lost] over the last 14 months,” said Parker-Rauw in an interview with VisitTCI. “I can’t stress how in such a short period of time, this is going to have such an impact on tourism here.”

On Aug. 1, 2024, the CDC’s ban on importing dogs less than six months old into the US took effect. The ban aims to prevent the introduction of DMRVV (dog-maintained rabies virus variant) into the US.

Since then, Potcake Place has been unable to find homes for hundreds of puppies. For the first time in the rescue’s 25-year history, they have had to turn away dogs.

“If we allow stray dogs to overrun the islands, it will inevitably affect the experience of our visitors and the tourism industry as a whole,” says Daniel J. LeVin, executive editor of VisitTCI. “Visit Turks and Caicos Islands works hard to promote the Turks and Caicos as one of the world’s premier travel destinations, and that means supporting efforts that protect the environment, community, and visitor experience.”

Many residents of Providenciales remember a time when wild dogs were shot to keep packs in check, or more recently, the fatal attack of a North Caicos woman in 2012 by feral dogs.

Large stray populations pose health and safety risks, deter tourists, and strain public resources. Many puppies the Potcake Place has had to turn away since the ban began have likely already had puppies themselves, says Parker-Rauw.

The impact of controlling a potentially explosive population of homeless dogs could have serious negative effects on the Turks and Caicos tourism industry, as seen in countries like Turkey.

“Two dogs in six years, if none of their offspring die, will produce 62,000 dogs,” says Parker-Rauw. “This is a major problem.”

The United States accounts for over 80% of visitors to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the vast majority of Potcake Place’s adoptions.

Since the ban came into effect, US adoptions have dropped from roughly 500 per year to just five per month, says Parker-Rauw. Getting older puppies to the US is challenging, as they’re too large for airline cabins and not permitted in the hold of planes traveling between Turks and Caicos and the US.

Potcake Place has been advocating for a revision of the ban to allow puppies from lowrisk rabies or rabies-free countries into the US. Turks and Caicos is a DMRVV-free country, and all puppies adopted through Potcake Place are fully vaccinated before travel.

This collaboration is one of several that Visit Turks and Caicos Islands has spearheaded this year to promote sustainable tourism. Both the video and an expanded article can be found at www.visittci.com/news .

TCI News

Turks and Caicos Islands Reaffirms Status as Premier Beach and Romance Destination at World Travel Awards

Published

1 week ago

October 6, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant, Experience Turks and Caicos

PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – (October 6th, 2025) – The Turks and Caicos Islands has once again reaffirmed its status as the Caribbean’s premier beach and romance destination at the annual World Travel Awards.

At the ceremony held in Saint Lucia on October 4th, the destination was named the region’s Leading Beach Destination and Most Romantic Destination. Turks and Caicos has captured the Leading Beach Destination title every year since 2015 and the Most Romantic Destination award for seven consecutive years.

“It is no secret that the Turks and Caicos Islands is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, and we are honoured that voters continue to recognise this. Our pristine waters and secluded settings also make the destination one of the world’s most romantic getaways, especially for couples seeking luxury and intimacy. On behalf of Experience Turks and Caicos, I extend sincere thanks to the World Travel Awards and to everyone who voted in support of our islands,” said Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant, Experience Turks and Caicos.

Experience Turks and Caicos would like to extend congratulations to our hotel partners and stakeholders who also won regional recognition at the World Travel Awards.

Beaches – Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2025

The Palms – Caribbean’s Leading All-Suite Hotel 2025

Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort – Caribbean’s Leading Private Island Resort 2025

InterCaribbean – Caribbean’s Leading Cabin Crew 2025

Turks and Caicos Islands Awards

Windsong Resort – Turks and Caicos Leading Boutique Hotel 2025

The Palms – Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel 2025

Grace Bay Club – Turks and Caicos Leading Luxury Resort 2025

The Shore Club – Turks and Caicos Leading Resort 2025

Four-bedroom Oceanfront Penthouse @Windsong Resort – Turks and Caicos Leading Hotel Suite 2025

Avis – Turks and Caicos Leading Car Rental Company 2025

Caicos Dream Tours – Turks and Caicos Leading Tour Operator 2025

Olympia Destination Management Company – Turks and Caicos Leading Destination Management Company 2025

The Turks and Caicos Islands now has an opportunity to win ultimate recognition in global travel and tourism with three global nominations in the World Travel Awards for the following:

World’s Leading Beach Destination
World’s Leading Island Destination
World’s Most Romantic Destination

The “World’s Leading” categories are the highest in the World Travel Awards programme. Voting runs from October 6^th -26th October 2025. Votes can be cast by travel professionals, media and tourism consumers, with the nominee gaining the most votes announced as the 2025 World Travel Awards winner.

TCI News

103 Migrants Intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard and TCI Agencies

Published

3 weeks ago

September 21, 2025

Deandrea Hamilton

Turks and Caicos, September 21, 2025 – On Sunday, September 21st, 2025, the United States Coast Guard Southeast (USCG), working in coordination with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RT&CIPF) Marine Branch, the TCI Regiment, and the TCI Border Force, intercepted a vessel carrying 103 migrants bound for Providenciales.

The suspicious vessel, first tracked by the USCG, was stopped at sea and later secured by the Sea Guardian vessel, which towed it safely to South Dock Marina. Upon arrival, the migrants were disembarked and handed over to the TCI Border Force for processing.

A breakdown of those on board confirmed:

75 males (including two minors)
28 females (including two minors)

This interception marks the 18th such operation in 2025, bringing the total number of migrants detained this year to 1,510. The RT&CIPF thanks the USCG and local agencies for their close cooperation, noting that this successful outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of layered security measures protecting the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Force reminds the public that illegal migration is dangerous and life-threatening, and violations of the law will not be tolerated.

Anyone with information on illegal migration is urged to contact the nearest police station, call 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or via the P3 app.

Photos Courtesy: Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force