News
Letter to the Editor
Sustainability of tourism in TCI, and the zeal to preserve it.
#TurksandCaicos, March 30, 2021 – In a true sense of the word, sustainable tourism is one that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host.
As a country, we have come a long way and can proudly boast that we are the envy of the Caribbean in terms of desirability but, is it sustainable?
Prior to the pandemic, there were public concerns that tourism in our country was growing faster than our ability to cope. With the sharp decline in this area, it gave us a moment to pause and reflect on how dependent we are on the tourism dollars, and to question whether or not we are truly a good host.
Without a coordinated response, we risk being unable to fully capture the potential of tourism and protect the long-term sustainability of this vibrant but fragile industry.
As we press forward and look beyond the post-pandemic era, we should be asking ourselves, what can we do differently to save our most valuable product which is ecotourism?
It’s crucial that everyone take the depletion of natural resources seriously and do everything within our power to sustain our natural environment.
Turks and Caicos is now at a crossroad where the Bahamas and Jamaica once were, in terms of growth and development. Where we go from here will determine the long term future of our country.
So how do we continue to thrive and nurture what we have?
If our government is really serious about saving our ecotourism industry, it must start with saving our coral reefs, our pristine beaches and wet lands. These are the areas that must be protected at all cost.
Red flags are being raised in areas such as, damages and depletion of our coral reefs, crumbling infrastructure, but are these areas getting the attention that’s needed?
It all begins and ends with forging a strong partnership, collaboration and trust between the public and private sectors.
Department of Environmental and Costal Resources (DECR) and Maritime departments, will need to be given an attenuated role with managing national parks and more autonomy to operate.
Access to the needed resources for enforcement in these particular areas has long been a challenge. Basic needs such as, channel markers, proper reef moorings, a Marine vessel, are all areas of dire need particularly in Grand Turk.
What is of paramount importance is, bridging that gap and aligning the aforementioned departments with local Water Sports organizations and the Turks and Caicos Reef project.
I believe the end goal could very well be achieved merely through training and education of tour operators, both land and sea.
With close oversight and support, these private organizations could play a vital role in helping to protect and preserve a sustainable ecotourism in our country.
What we have seen over the years is, the departments might have had the best intentions or strategies to help save our environment, but lacked the resources to execute on anything.
Case in point: On any given day when the cruise ships were in, we had anywhere from 3500 to 4000 passengers embarking on our shores in Grand Turk.
An overwhelming majority of these sunbathers remain right on our pristine beaches.
There are no available public restrooms facilities, no direct beach access for emergency vehicles and at the end of the day, the beaches are left littered with garbage, with no assigned government workers to assist with clean up.
Is this what one would call protecting our most valued tourism product? Nevertheless, it’s not too late; with cruising at a standstill, it’s perfect timing to get our house in order before they resume sailing.
With tourism being the primary economic engine of growth for our country, we are in an acute position and cannot continue to ignore these critical areas, or play politics while ignoring the need for a total facelift of the nation’s capital.
There also needs to be a national conversation on saving our reefs with a unified effort. Failure to address these critical improvements would only exacerbate issues and in the long term and put the country in a more vulnerable position.
We can no longer be shortsighted when it comes to the future of our country. With that being said, more focus should be on yield per visitor and return rate rather than just the sheer number of visitors to our Islands.
Based on the aesthetics as it is right now, especially in GT, I’m afraid to say it’s not very inviting to the naked eyes.
If there’s one lesson that we can derive from this pandemic is the importance of protecting what we have control over.
Therefore, in order to protect and sustain what we have left to call our own, ecological restoration will have to become front and center of any development or revitalization plan going forward.
Ed Forbes
Concerned citizen of Grand Turk
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: — Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort recently collaborated with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the Department of Social Services to support a youth camp hosted at the Oseta Jolly Primary School, underscoring the resort’s ongoing commitment to youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The camp, which brought together security forces, government agencies and private sector entities, focused on equipping young participants
with practical life skills and character-building tools. A team from Beaches Turks and Caicos’ leadership and training departments joined the programme to deliver sessions on basic table etiquette, dining mannerisms, polite demeanour and public speaking fundamentals, all designed to help the students present themselves confidently in formal and professional settings.
General Manager of Beaches Turks and Caicos, Deryk Meany, said the resort views national development as an integral part of its corporate social responsibility. “We are always happy to be supporters in the development of the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands. We continue to commit our team to help in creating the next generation of leaders who will provide support to the islands and help in its development,” Meany noted.
The initiative also received strong endorsement from the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Community Development, which has been championing holistic programmes aimed at building well-rounded young citizens. Minister Rachel Taylor highlighted the importance of collaborations like the camp in helping youth access structured guidance and mentorship. “We are happy to join in celebrating the growth and development of our youth here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Beaches Turks and Caicos continues to be one of our primary supporters in helping to develop well rounded individuals. This commitment from this resort has grown with the vision of the youth ministry to help in their overall development,” she said.
Taylor further emphasized that the camp’s timing was especially significant, coming as youth across the islands seek positive outlets and
constructive engagement. “This camp came at the most ideal time for our adolescents. With the support of our governor, the security forces, the social services along with Beaches Turks and Caicos, we are confident that the training needed for them to improve is on the right track,” she added.
Beaches Turks and Caicos Public Relations Manager, Orville Morgan, described the collaboration as an exemplary model of cross-sector partnership. “To be able to join with the security forces to provide support for the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands is exceptional. We are happy to provide the necessary support to equip them to grow into being productive citizens of these islands,” Morgan said.
He noted that the resort team focused on practical etiquette and hospitality-driven skills that can be carried into the youths’ future experiences. “As a team, we were able to share in the basic table setting and dining etiquette for them, skills we are sure that they will be able to use in their next fine dining experience,” Morgan added.
Organizers expressed optimism that the camp’s blend of discipline, mentorship and soft skills training will have a lasting impact on participants. With stakeholders pledging continued support, the Beaches Turks and Caicos team and their partners aim to expand similar initiatives, further investing in the personal and professional growth of the next generation of Turks and Caicos Islanders.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
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