TCI News
TCI: Years of news reports show PNP Govt lacked conviction about post office construction
#Providenciales, May 10, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The records show that the PDM got a new post office built in under two years despite back to back, Category 5 hurricanes and the PNP didn’t get the job done despite having three years with bigger fiscal surpluses.
News coverage of the chain of events which led to the new post office having to be constructed is extensive as media houses throughout the TCI have been on the story since it broke, when workers first complained and refused to function at the dilapidated site.
Since that time, news articles and broadcast reports highlight that the building ended up being condemned due to termite and rodent infestation, structural problems and the presence of mold, among other things.
The staff was moved and stuffed, with all of the country’s mail into a space at the Town Centre Mall.
In February 2014, the former Home Affairs Minister, George Lightbourne told media there were plans to include the construction of a new post office in the 2014/2015 Budget.
But construction did not happen.
In December 2015, the Permanent Secretary of Public Works in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ian Astwood explained that the building should have come in 2015, but due to other projects which took precedence the new post office was put on hold.
A promise was made for construction of the new post office site for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
But that also did not happen.On Wednesday, the Leader of the PNP illustrates in a media statement that the 2016-2017 Budget of the Rufus Ewing Administration made $1.15 million available for the post office construction.
However, the PNP Government led by Rufus Ewing up to December 2016 or eight months into the fiscal year made no visible moves to construct the post office which they had on the books.
The general elections of December 2016 resulted in the Ewing Administration being voted out of office.
It meant, among other things, the PNP Government had lost the opportunity to lead on the plan to build a new post office for Providenciales.
The issue of a workplace environment which proved uncomfortable and unconducive for high productivity and efficiency had been a long-time complaint for the Post Office staff. The matter was so severe, that Deputy Governor Anya Williams and former Deputy Premier Akiera Missick held at least one meeting with the demoralized workers to reassure them of their importance and improvements.
Five years since the industrial action taken by the post office staff and the PNP Opposition criticizes the PDM Government for taking the credit for their plans for the post office construction.
Evidence is there to show, that while the plan to build was in black and white, there appeared to be a lack of conviction to actually get the job done when Washington Misick was the Minister of Finance.
The new George Brown Post Office ends at least six years of woeful working conditions and while the funds were set aside, the PNP Government was stalled on the project for three years.
Comparatively, the PDM administration also with the funds set aside, got the new post office built within 18 months of being elected to office.
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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.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
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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