TCI News
TCI: New Training Center opened by Hotel & Tourism Association
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday July 18, 2018 – A training center which caters to the hospitality workers of the Turks and Caicos is now opened and introduces, sharpens and upgrades various skills; it is an initiative by the country’s Hotel and Tourism Association. 
With a mixture of short drop–in learning sessions, scheduled short courses, tailored industry training and employability courses; the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association or TCHTA’s new Training Center aims to match the level of service provided on the island to the level of developments which are coming into the island.
The Association launched its new Training Center in mid-June with the help of country leaders, including Governor His Excellency, Dr. John Freeman. The project was dubbed, ‘the baby’ of Stacy Cox, TCHTA CEO, who with a jubilant crowd and packed balcony at the Salt Mills Plaza office, cut the ribbon to signal the official opening.
“This is just the first step when it comes to training through the TCHTA. In the next year or so we have another project that we will bring to you in relation to education and we look forward to your support in that as well,” said Mrs. Cox, who thanked her team and the Executive Board for backing her in the project.
“Whenever there is a crazy idea, there are always crazier people who are willing to execute it and for that I want to say thank you.”
The TCHTA also announced its partnership with the American Lodging Association in the startup of the Training Center; Mrs. Cox shared that the objective is not limited to training the hospitality workforce, but also focused on advancing the culture as it relates to service excellence.
President of the Hotel and Tourism Association, Nikheel Advani reiterated the fact that the training is here for sharpening one’s skill in the industry. An industry, he reminded, which accounts for 80 percent of the Turks and Caicos economy. Advani pointed out that one does not have to work directly in the tourism sector to understand its value to everyone.
“…as we know; today tourism makes up to 80 % of either direct or indirect percentage of our GDP. This tells us that this is one of the most important industries and everybody is a part of this. If you are a Taxi Driver if you work in Immigration If you are a Server if you are a Chef Everyone of you is involved in Tourism.”
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Wesley Clerveaux brought remarks at the opening and pledged the Ministry’s support and congratulated the TCHTA on the move.
“Ongoing studies is key in maintaining a sustainable development and to keep ourselves in peak performance as a tourism destination.” 
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, Hon Ralph Higgs was Permanent Secretary, Sheryl-Anne Jones who said that the Ministry believes education is a critical part of developing the sector and congratulated Stacy Cox and her team on the opening of the Center.
Governor H.E, Dr. John Freeman, who cut the ribbon with TCHTA executives was also grateful and addressed the importance of fine tuning service standards.
“…the identification and the development of people who can contribute is a crucial way forward; and this Center offers a chance in making a real difference, in terms of bringing along the quality and the professionalism of people in these islands.”
The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association Training Center is managed by Peak Professional and is already offering courses in Front Office Essentials For the Service Industry; Customer Service Basics For the Service Industry; Business Writing; Exceeding Customer Expectations in the Service Industry; Attitude 101; Front Desk First Impressions; First Aid Training – Beginners & Recertification and Know Your TCI.
The TCHTA Training Center is located at the Association’s office at Salt Mills Plaza in Grace Bay, Providenciales; classes run during weekdays.
Story by Jean Sagesse
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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