#TurksandCaicos, January 20, 2023 – The often-overlooked island of Salt Cay located in Turks and Caicos Islands, is definitely one not to be missed while planning your next getaway.

In those mundane or difficult moments; and your looking to unwind and soak in the sun, this is the island of your dreams. One can literally transport themselves back in time and enjoy the glistening, turquoise waters that surround this tiny island called Salt Cay.

Many readers including myself, enjoy articles from the “Spot light on Salt Cay” by Candy Herwin, weekly photos of the Salt Cay ferry to and from the island, Destination Salt Cay by my good friend, journalist Titus De Boer who also covers a wide range of topics.

Their excerpts capture different points of view and give you a glimpse of life on the island, its history, challenges and the attempts to keep hope alive.

Granted, on a few occasions I visited the island, this time it was different. After taking my family on a day trip to the island a few months ago, I was still amazed by the welcoming and positive attitude of the people, yet disheartening because of the lack of opportunity for the handful of residents still clinging unto their customs and traditions.

The visit brought back so many fond memories of my childhood growing up in Middle Caicos. What’s so striking about Salt Cay is the quaintness, genuine hospitality and pure natural beauty that draws visitors in.

Apart from the tranquility, it’s also one of the few long-standing cluster of inhabited sister islands that can proudly say they have had zero reported heinous crimes. Despite all the challenges, the island still remains pure and breathtakingly beautiful.

For a moment, I thought to myself, with the Capital only 7 miles away, why is it taking so long to integrate such a charm of an island? I believe the answer is quite obvious, it’s the lack of investment due in part to limited transportation to and from the island.

Over the years, this has forced many of the residents to relocate to Grand Turk and elsewhere to find work.

From my understanding, the government is currently subsidizing one of the local airlines to provide 3 flights a week and the local ferry boat 3 times a week to the island.

This is wonderful; however, given the limited available resources on the island, what the government failed to realize is, apart from whale watching, great fishing sites, spectacular beaches, there is not much to do on the island in terms of activities that will attract the majority of visitors for any sustained length of time.

Instead, what appears to be happening is little by little, the island is being sold out to the highest foreign bidder and elites who can afford to make it their second home.

Before all of the affordable real estate is gone, government should seriously look at other alternatives to assist residents who would love to remain on this particular island, but it’s not financially feasible to do so.

For the benefit of the next generation, we should avoid selling out the interests of this island for the sake of perceived economic stability for some. Why not put more effort into energizing the tourism sector in this gem of an island? It’s not that difficult and we are not expecting overnight success.

As a prime example, let’s take a look at the island of North Caicos. The airport there has been decommissioned for years, but the convenience of having daily ferry services to and from the island of Providenciales, has dramatically boosted tourism which is now spilling over into Middle Caicos.

Residents there have the option of either living or working between the two islands. This could very well be the playbook for Salt Cay.

With so many of the residents in Grand Turk having roots in Salt Cay, I would imagine some long for that day to come when they will be afforded the opportunity currently available to the residents of North Caicos, Middle Caicos and Provo.

With the hustle and bustle lifestyle in Providenciales to include the uptick in crime, this particular island like a few others will become more attractive to tourists. With that being said, how do we make the tourism product more attractive in Salt Cay?

Perhaps, a starting point could be providing more convenient transportation services to and from the island to help support the infrastructure development.

A cost-benefit analysis should also be done to determine whether it would be more advantageous to temporarily reduce the number of flights to the island and increase subsidies for daily ferry operations.

It could result in a twofold benefit. One, it forces tourists to fly to Grand Turk giving a boost to that economy and then having the option of taking a day trip to the island of Salt Cay for self discovery.

Secondly, cruise ship passengers and locals alike will have an opportunity to leave in the morning and return in the evening. This will open new doors for development on the island. Perhaps, a frequent travelers discount card can also be applied. In addition, various cultural activities can be planned to attract visitors and locals alike.

In my opinion, it would also be prudent for the government to identify certain real estate on the island that should be protected and or preserved. This could include but not limited to government buy back of land if need be. It will help to avoid a total sell off or depletion of prime property that the country will later regret.

From a recently published Crown land review consultant paper 2022, it showed that the Turks and Caicos Islands as a whole, is facing a serious Crown land crisis with only 23% of usable Crown land remaining.

Albeit, there appears to be a breakthrough from the long-awaited review of the management of Crown Land in the Turks and Caicos Islands. What would be beneficial to citizens is a follow up town hall style meeting to provide a debriefing on the nuts and bolts of the findings and recommendations.

I truly believe that in due course, the increased government subsidies towards the transportation sector on this island will be money well spent. The end result is happier residents and more opportunities to showcase this coveted destination to potential investors and local entrepreneurs.

Ed Forbes

Concerned citizen of Grand Turk