News
TREVOR MUSGROVE REFLECTS ON TWO YEARS AS PRESIDENT OF TCHTA
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, May 15, 2023 – Post-election, Trevor Musgrove now moves from the role of TCHTA President to Chairman. Musgrove delivered his final message to members at the association’s recent AGM, before passing the torch to the newly elected President, James McAnally.
Reflecting on his two years, Trevor says, “Through my involvement as a Board Director in previous years, I knew the role would be both challenging and rewarding.” He continued, “As an Allied Member, it was important to me that we worked to bring even more small businesses into the membership and forged a better relationship with government. These were my main goals.” 
As Chair of the Advocacy Committee, Musgrove’s final report on February 24th was an overview of the organization’s success in representing its members, the tourism industry, and the country’s communities. Advocacy issues over the past two years ran the gamut of Immigration and Border Control regulations, Human Resource concerns, Crime, and more.
In 2022, the association’s efforts were chiefly focused on the big changes announced by government for the DMMO transition and lobbying for responsive and aggressive tactics in the face of the country’s heightened crime wave. Back in 2021 when Musgrove was first elected to the seat, the country was moving out of its ‘closed borders’ period, and many crucial decisions needed to be made for the safety and protection of the country and its people while balancing the need for an economic rebound.
Incidentally, the TCHTA Board and current government both took seats around the same time in 2021, and Musgrove’s team engaged the Ministers early to pledge a continued commitment to partnership. This, Musgrove says, paid off.
“Thankfully, the government embraced the need for public and private stakeholders to be engaged so that the needs of the country were addressed holistically,” he shared. “They kept us involved and ensured feedback and data from our members was included when major decisions were being made.”
The Chairman says he is filled with pride over the accomplishments he and his outgoing Board of Directors achieved together and is appreciative of the all-hands-on-deck collaboration.
During the period of his Presidency, the TCHTA launched its Member-2-Member program which was a significant move to strengthening the network of businesses and encouraging B-2-B participation, and one Musgrove looks forward to seeing expand in its reach.
It was a busy and eventful two years as the TCHTA worked diligently to assist in the matters affecting the country during a time when the industry was getting ‘back to business’. This included assisting the government with:
- Airport overcrowding after the reopening of the country’s borders
- Lobbying the CDC on country’s status on global site
- Setting up multiple COVID-19 testing sites for visitors and residents
- Input on Beach Vending policy
- Lobbying for swift and aggressive responses to crime
- Endorsement of the Gun Amnesty program
- Engagement with Ministry of Tourism and DMMO consultants
- Providing data for inclusion in vaccination mandate Cabinet discussions
Musgrove says this list is far from exhaustive but shows the level of engagement and continued efforts of the Board and the TCHTA’s committees over the last two years.
“We have also maintained our focus on community efforts and ensured that during our milestone 30thanniversary year in 2022, our calendar included various activities engaging the community because we simply couldn’t do it without them,” said Musgrove.
Among the activities referenced were the 30 Mighty Mahogany trees planted throughout the country; the adoption of 30 coral reefs through the Reef Fund, and giveaway competitions open to the public. In addition to the commemorative initiatives, Musgrove is proud of the association’s support of the South Caicos back-to-school program and the ADIP local film festival sponsorship.
He was pleased to have been at the helm to see the TCHTA’s signature programs “TCI Shines”, “Hospitality Adventures” and “Hello Tourist” come back after the necessary hiatus, and the association’s premier luxury magazine, “Destination”, return to resort rooms and to the international market.
When asked how it felt to be leaving the role, Musgrove had this to say: “It is bittersweet for me. It allowed me to play a more active part in the important work we do, and I’ve enjoyed every minute.” Musgrove says he has done his
best to lead with integrity and purpose and looks forward to giving his full support to the new President, as was done for him by his predecessor.
He shared his confidence in James McAnally, who will now lead a new Board of Directors for the 2023 to 2025 term, “Jamie is a committed and dedicated individual with a love for everything Turks and Caicos. He has been a part of the association for many years as a Director and is a head-down, hands-to-the-wheel gentleman. Always hard at work, and always thinking ahead for what can be done to make Brand TCI even stronger. He is also passionate about protecting our natural resources which is a great benefit as we move toward stronger sustainability efforts for the country.”
When asked why he chose not to put himself forward for the seat in the recent association elections, Trevor said, “Unfortunately my other commitments did not allow for it, but I am no less dedicated to the TCHTA and the work we do to protect our members, our product, and the sustainability of the Turk and Caicos Islands.”
He shared how humbled he has been by the wave of support and encouragement he received throughout this time. “A big thank you to everyone who advised or encouraged me along the way. I will forever be appreciative of your support.”
Musgrove says he leaves the post humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead alongside a group of dedicated and passionate individuals and hopes that whatever he brought to the role has been for the betterment of the association, Brand TCI, and this country that he loves so dearly.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an attempt to move to 24-hour-a-day operations Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is steadily recruiting Air Traffic Controllers to work at the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, according to Godfrey Smith, TCIAA CEO, reporting to the Appropriations Committee.
Speaking on April 8th Smith said a cabinet paper would be sent soon requesting six more Air Traffic Controllers to make round the clock operation at the Provo International possible and to open the airport in Grand Turk till 12 a.m.
Currently, 17 posts are filled and seven are vacant.
Smith was candid with his responses to recent industrial action from ATCs which led to resignations and firings.
“What we have to do is find systems to mitigate such actions and that has to start with filling these jobs, putting people in that want to
work and doing right by people – and we always try to do right by our staff. Persons may not think that we are but we always do – we ain’t pick no fight,” he said in the meetings held at the NJS Francis building ahead of the National Budget Communication.
Smith indicated that recruitment was an issue across the board, ‘we need to find ways to recruit a little bit better’ he told the committee. Also in need of a push was capital spending or projects according to the CEO, who said the agency had ‘not been very good’ at meeting that mark but insisted they had recognized the issue and could do better.
A very important key performance indicator drawn up by the TCIAA is increasing passenger satisfaction at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. For the TCIAA part of this means a 30 percent increase in seating by Q2 of this year.
When queried on if they could even handle this increase the CEO said,
“The fact of the matter is we already have the capacity there. What we need is to make the service a bit better.”
Staff shortages have become such a frustrating issue that the TCIAA is instituting a scholarship program created by Authority Chairman, Selvyn Hawkins
“What the board wants to do is basically allocate $25,000 annually for a scholarship and they’ve approved it already.”
This process would cover tuition and all other costs for one student.
The student would return as a summer intern and other breaks to work at the TCIAA and upon graduation, assume a role at the company.
“We identify a particular skill we need, we go after it and we build capacity that is in a nutshell the nexus of the program,” Smith said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is allocated $49 million this financial year; over $20 million goes to salaries.
Company delivers fastest speeds nationwide and boosts service reliability
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS, APRIL 19th, 2024 – More connections, faster speeds and greater support for customers. This is the promise from communications and entertainment provider, Flow TCI, as it embarks on an initiative to provide households with enhanced connections, greater overall reliability and now, for the first time, speeds up to one gigabit person second.
FLOW TCI Country Manager, Joanne Missick shared: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We listen to our customers and want to exceed their demands, so we are focused on delivering unmatched value with customer centric products and services that are future proof. Flow subscribers on our Fibre Extreme package can now access up to one gigabyte speeds and subscribers on our Fibre Plus and Fibre Max package, as of April 1st, are also now benefitting from up to 5x more speeds.”
This is third speed boost for Flow customers in the last two years. This comes under the umbrella of the the Company’s recently launched “Working for You” campaign, where technicians are going into the neighborhoods across the island to conduct repairs, decommission copper cables, and increase the brand’s visibility in local communities.
“To date several neighborhoods have been served by technicians and the company will continue to go across the islands to ensure each neighborhood receives personal attention. We recognize that over the past few months some customers have experienced issues with the quality and delivery of our services. This is not what we stand for. Flow remains committed to providing technology and innovation
that enables growth and positively impacts lives”, says, newly appointed Head of Technical Operations, Simeon Thomas.
Thomas adds, “We have been closely monitoring and reviewing every aspect of our network and there is room for improvement across each of the islands. Where we find shortcomings, we are taking concrete actions and assigning our technicians to rapidly make all necessary adjustments and improvements for our customers”.
Flow has made significant investments in expanding and modernizing its infrastructure and delivering a more robust and reliable network paving the way for the country’s digital transformation.
For more information on speed increases visit https://www2.discoverflow.co/turks-and-caicos/price-adjustment-speed-increase on our website.
Thank you for your usual assistance in sharing our stories.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an explosive, self-proclaimed, final budget speech to the people of the Turks and Caicos, Harold Charles, Governors Appointed Member is expressing frustration that many Turks and Caicos Islanders are locked out of top jobs in the country and unable to build wealth.
”I’ve been in this country for 50 years and I’ve noticed all those big developments that come in— the majority of [managers]are foreign people. After 50 years, when are we going to have Belongers manage those businesses?” Charles asked. “I’m upset, I’m frustrated [this is] their home. They have nowhere else to go—- If we don’t empower our Turks and Caicos Islanders we will never get out of living paycheck to paycheck.”
Charles echoed what thousands of locals have been saying for years about the failure of successive governments to get the economic success in the country on a level that residents can participate in it. The member maintained that not only were many locals working for scraps overseas and at home, but that it was the prerogative of the government to create avenues for them to move upward.
”I know the government’s heart is in the right place but somehow we’re not getting it together. I’m talking (about) both PDM and PNPs. It must change. There are many islanders overseas taking crummy jobs when all this opportunity is in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Calling on the government to enforce laws which allow islanders to get a foothold in lucrative industries, Charles maintained that TCIG could not let investors come and do as they liked.
”We have all these big companies making millions. They brag about how much they’re making, yet how much do they contribute to the development of our people?”
Charles encouraged the government to mandate that locals were hired in the large developments, taking place across the country.
Capital projects and their execution was another issue that the member highlighted
”Over the past three years in office, we seem to be dragging our feet when it comes to the execution of projects,” he said, “the last budget reflected bitter-sweet sentiment.”
The government managed to spend $29 million of a $57 million capital project budget in 2023/24 financial year.
“Mr. Speaker prior, we promised the people infrastructural investment, improved roads, ease with doing business with TCIG, more scholarships, increased home care, a $900,000 special needs school.”
The Appointed member was also frustrated with the amount of money being allocated to crucial areas including the absence of allocations for a special needs school.
”We were promised that no Turks and Caicos Islander would be left behind while I appreciate the government’s commitment to ensuring this. I am concerned that the relatively low level of funding allocated to education and infrastructure may hinder the effectiveness of effort,” The member stressed.
Closing his speech, Charles maintained that it was “crucial that the sectors receive additional support in order to provide citizens with the necessary resources and opportunities for their development.“
Mr. Speaker it is imperative that we allocate our resources adequately and streamline processes to enhance the ease of doing business with the Turks and Caicos Government. We must priortise increasing service delivery capacity in critical departments such as the customer service department, the register of records, the department of motor vehicles and the list goes on,” express Charles.
Charles reminded that there is a growing demand on the services TCIG provides, especially as the country enjoys unprecedented, year on year, exponential economic growth.
Charles alongside Jameka Williams (Government Appointed Member) Willin Belliard (Governor’s Appointed Member number one) and Alvin Garland (Opposition Appointed Member) will very likely be the last set of appointed members in the House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos as it transitions to a wholly elected parliament.
Harold Charles indicated it was unlikely he would join any leadership race describing the 2024-2025 Budget contribution as likely his final.
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