Government
Travelling Residents to pay $10 DMMO fee but will get benefits says Tourism Minister Connolly
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 2, 2023 – “Let me be clear: this is the people’s money, and we intend to be open and transparent on how the funds are used, and we want to ensure accountability in the use of the funds,” promises Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism as she detailed how money collected under Experience Turks and Caicos, the newly established Destination Marketing and Management Organization will be spent.
A large part of the funding for the DMMO will come from a new $10 levy which ALL air travelers will pay. With the bill authorizing that levy now laid in parliament residents finally have concrete information of how the process will work.
Connolly on Wednesday June 28, in parliament, outlined the Destination Management Fee Bill 2023.
With the passage of this bill residents and visitors entering the country will be subject to the fee whether they are
The only individuals exempt from the tax are cruise passengers (who already pay a similar fee), travelers under 10 years old and those on domestic flights.
She urged residents not to worry about the $10 fee to fly home as in tandem, the Government is proposing to Cabinet a $400 increase in duty exemption, to $1000 per trip.
Interestingly, travelers can either pay the fee when they book their ticket and have the $10 which is collected by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), similar to departure tax or pay their ten bucks in person to a customs officer. The second option is for passengers by vessel or by the fixed-based operator in the case of private jets or airlines.
It will be left up to the operators of airlines and other entities to ‘keep meticulous records and submit this information to the Government to permit proper reconciliation,’ Connolly said.
Following collection, all of this money will go into the Destination Enhancement Fund to help improve the country for both locals and visitors. It’s now up to the minister of finance to create a plan outlining how the cash will be used.
In an effort to assuage fears of potential mismanagement, Connolly said there would be audits performed on the fund and it will have to go through the same procurement process as the rest of the public bodies.