Intentional Tourism; Premier says Destination Marketing and Management transition still in play for Tourist Board

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

 “The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board is not fit for purpose.”

So says Premier Washington Misick while defending his decision to transition the Board to a Destination Marketing & Management Organization.

Premier Misick was speaking to Magnetic Media after the Caribbean Journal Awards, in which the Turks and Caicos Islands walked away with the lion share of awards; three in all.

Turks and Caicos won 2021 Tourist Board Director of the Year in the person of Pamela Ewing; Luxury Destination of the Year and  Best New Hotel which was named at the Ritz Carlton on Grace Bay, which opened in July.

Despite the success Misick says what is happening in the TCI’s is happening organically.

“We are not breaking new ground here…A lot of what is happening is happening despite the Tourist Board.”

The Premier said that this was not enough and that the Turks and Caicos had to be intentional.

“We want to be deliberate, we want to have a sustainable economy and not just be drifting along.”

Premier Misick said that at the moment there was no cohesion in how the industry was being managed and that there was no stakeholder synergy.  He insisted that it couldn’t be that the tourist areas of the TCI look beautiful and the rest of the country was living in slums saying,

“These people are stakeholders too, whether you are an attorney, a tour guide or vendor on the beach, the immigration offer or the person who works for the TCIAA.”

He also said that commentary surrounding the issue had been blown out of proportion.

“The reason why people voted for me is because they believe I have the information necessary to make the best decisions on their part, and I can tell you what we’re doing now is going to totally transform our industry.”

Misick added that he would not be pressured into doing something because laypersons thought he should.

“I am not going to be cowered into doing something just because the most uninformed person on the street thinks it should be done or should not be done. I am going to operate on a basis of information.”

He ended by promising that he made informed decisions regarding the Turks and Caicos tapping into information, industry trends and knowledge.