No complaints to TCHTA yet about weather affecting bookings, but COVID vaccine has

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, December 20, 2022 – The United States is in the throes of a winter storm for the ages with nearly every state expected to be affected by tornadoes, ice, snow and sleet but Stacy Cox, CEO of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association says there’s no indication tourism in the Turks and Caicos has taken a hit as yet.

In a statement to Magnetic Media, Cox said she hadn’t heard that the storm was adversely affecting bookings in the country so far.

Hundreds of flights have been grounded thanks to the storm which blew into the US late last week and is expected to worsen throughout the holiday weekend as another arctic system crosses the country on Wednesday. More than 5000 flights in and out of the US were delayed and more than 300 were cancelled between Sunday and Monday alone.

The United States is the Turks and Caicos’ largest supplier of visitors accounting for over 80 per cent of the total guests that flock to our shores yearly. Though the weather storm seems not to be taking a bite out of arrivals, Cox had told Magnetic Media in a previous statement that the continuation of the vaccine mandate was.

Today, residents learned that Cabinet on Monday (December 19) decided to extend the vaccine entry requirement into 2023; new date for expiration is March 31.