News
Experience Turks and Caicos hosts Tourism Career and Entrepreneurship Fair in South Caicos
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (January 23rd, 2024) – Students of the Majorie Basden High School in South Caicos were given the opportunity to explore careers in the tourism industry when the Tourism Career and Entrepreneurship Fair took place on Monday, January 22nd, 2024 from 11 am to 3 pm at the South Caicos Community Centre.
Experience Turks and Caicos hosted the Tourism and Entrepreneurial Career Fair to expose students to numerous career opportunities and encourage entrepreneurship within the tourism industry.
The students interacted with the exhibitors to learn about the different careers of those present:
- Department of Tourism Regulations
- Invest TCI
- TCI Airports Authority
- Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR)
- Department of Fisheries and Marine Resource Management
- Turks and Caicos National Trust
- Chili’s Catering & Takeout
- Sailrock Resort
- Salterra Resort
The Honourable Jameka Williams, the Government’s Appointed Member, praised Experience Turks and Caicos for
giving students of South Caicos exposure to careers in the tourism industry.
“South Caicos TCIs fishing capital, is one of the most peaceful islands with little to no hard crime. This island offers you some of the friendliest people and showcases a picture of true island living. South Caicos is a success waiting to explode with two major hotel properties (Sailrock Resort and Salterra Resort) and a new airport that can accommodate international flights. It is our time in South Caicos to not only position ourselves for success but to ensure the people on this island are first for all considerations as we continue to grow,” she said in her address.
Urging the students to get the necessary qualifications, Ms. Williams told them to make sure to return to South Caicos as the opportunities are endless. She said the government, through Invest TCI, offers free cash grants of up to $30,000 for small and medium-sized businesses.
“I would like to encourage the youth of South Caicos to prepare yourselves to take advantage of the opportunities available now and in the future. As a people, we tend to complain about the opportunities afforded others, but we must also position ourselves to take what is ours. I would like to commend the organisers of Experience TCI for this timely event as it gives the people of South Caicos an opportunity to prepare for the continued success of this island,” she said.
Also addressing the students was Ms. Racquel Brown, Change Manager and Interim CEO of Experience Turks and Caicos who told the students there was a world of opportunity awaiting them in tourism.
Sharing her journey, Ms. Brown said she wanted to study law but ended up studying geology.
“You might say what does that have to do with tourism? Tourism is everyone’s business and, in the Turks, and Caicos Islands, everyone here is involved directly or indirectly in the tourism industry. I share with you what my study area was because it allowed me to assist in developing products, for example, attractions and sites, to enhance the guest experience. I say to all of you that you may be into doing TikTok, into doing graphics, into doing snorkeling, you may like to fish, cook or do tours, the world is your oyster, please do not limit yourself,” she urged.
In his address, Mr. Norman Saunders, the former Hon. Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, spoke about the history of the tourism industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands and his role in determining the development of the tourism industry back in 1972 after the closure of the Salt Industry in 1964.
He said that the economy needed a boost after the closure of the Salt industry and they decided to focus on tourism following a tour of the Caribbean to learn about the development of the tourism industry from other islands. Listen to excerpts of his address HERE.
The next Tourism and Entrepreneurial Career Fair is scheduled to take place in Providenciales on February 1st, 2024 at Graceway Sports Centre.
Photo Captions:
Header: Students of the Majorie Basden High School listen intently to Rose Seymour, Environmental Officer from the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources at the South Caicos Tourism Career and Entrepreneurship Fair
1st insert: Students get information on facilities available for entrepreneurs from Invest TCI
2nd insert: A Manager from Sailrock Resort in South Caicos talks to the students about careers at the hotel
3rd insert: The Hon Jameka Williams, Government’s Appointed Member, Mr. Norman Saunders, former Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Island and Ms. Racquel Brown, Change Manager/Interim CEO, Experience Turks and Caicos
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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