TCI News
Turks & Caicos Celebrates Launch of TEAM and 20th Anniversary of TIDES Training Program
#PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands (November 3, 2020) – The Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime, Gaming and Disaster Management and the TCHTA will seek to reinforce and reignite an appreciation for Turks & Caicos among residents by encouraging domestic travel to discover the uniqueness of each Sister Island during its annual observance of Tourism Environmental Awareness Month (TEAM). Turks & Caicos also joins with its Caribbean counterparts to celebrate Caribbean Tourism Month throughout November.
During a press conference on November 2nd held at the Office of the Premier in Providenciales, a new TEAM theme was unveiled – ‘Rediscover Turks & Caicos’ which will be used for the next three years. The previous theme ‘Tourism Is Key, It Starts With Me’ has been retired after five years.
The other highlight of the event was the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the TIDES program. TIDES, which stands for Together Individuals Delivering Excellent Service, began as the TCI Host Training Programme in September 2000. The training program was created to enhance the Turks and Caicos’ visitor’s experience by raising the level of customer service to complement Turks and Caicos’ position as a premier holiday and investment destination. The program has seen thousands of civil servants, public service drivers and private sector employees benefit from the customer service course. To mark the occasion, the Tourist Board used the opportunity to honor its Training Manager Ms. E. Blythe Clare who has championed the program is recognized as an exemplary ambassador for Turks & Caicos.
Minister with responsibility for tourism and environment Hon. Ralph Higgs officially declared Tourism Environmental Awareness Month open and stated, “Our environment and tourism sector are vital to our country. I want to encourage the general public, across the length and breadth of the Turks & Caicos Islands, to not only remember the importance of our tourism industry but also the bedrock of that industry is our environment. We each have an important role as caretakers and custodians in ensuring that it is protected. These are indeed challenges times, however, brand Turks & Caicos is still trending positively in the world. Notwithstanding COVID-19, we continue to see strong interest in our destination. I believe that as soon as the pandemic subsides, we will see more visitors returning to our shores, and Turks and Caicos Islanders regaining their rightful place as participants and contributors to our economy.
I encourage residents to rediscover the beautiful islands that God has blessed us with in this archipelago. Go and experience the quaintness of Salt Cay, the elegant and rustic beauty of Grand Turk and indulge in the opportunities and possibilities that exist in South Caicos. North and Middle Caicos are the gem among these islands and I believe the future of the tourism industry lies within them. Providenciales, of course is the breadbasket of the country, and all of our Sister Islands are available for you to explore and enjoy. Due to the pandemic the government has put regulations in place to mitigate against the spread of the virus, however, please ensure that as you travel domestically you are following all the protocols outlined to safeguard your health.”
The Tourism Environmental Awareness Month events will be mainly hosted virtually and will include:
· Virtual Tour of Grand Turk on November 9th
· Rediscover Turks & Caicos: Back in the Day Island Experiences on November 10th
· Virtual Tour of Junkanoo Museum on November 11th
· Virtual Tour of Cheshire Hall Plantation on November 13th
· Nationwide Clean Up and Drive-by Giveaway on November 14th
· Virtual Tourism Symposium on November 18tth
· Rediscover Turks & Caicos: Island Delicacies on November 25th
As part of the month’s celebrations, Turks & Caicos Islands residents and students are encouraged to ‘Rediscover Turks & Caicos’ in a creative sense by participating in a video and art competition. The video competition is open to the general public to submit a video based on the theme while fourth to sixth grade students are invited to submit visual art interpretations of the theme. The winners of both competitions will receive cash prizes. Criteria for entry and submission guidelines are available on our website https://turksandcaicostourism.com/tourism-month/.
Follow the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board’s public relations unit via its Facebook page ‘Turks and Caicos Tourist Board Press’ for live streaming and updates on all TEAM events.
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.
