News
Do Not Close Down the Tourist Board!!
In his address to the nation Premier Misick told the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands that, “On the Issue of the Destination Management Organization and Tourism Authority, anybody who read the Progressive National Party Contract with the people, would be aware that this was “a key pillar of that Contract.” From this the Hon. Premier is implying that his New Administration told the people that once in power they would be closing down the Tourist Board, and will be replacing it with a Destination Marketing & Management Organization (DMMO) and a Tourism Authority. Oh, how we know how contracts can hide the important and controversial details. We just have to look at the Contract with InterHealth Canada and the Exclusivity given to Carnival.
I am of the belief that many of the voters, and others, assumed that the words pertaining to the DMMO in the PNP’s Citizen’s Contract meant that there would be a restructuring and a rebranding of the existing Tourist Board, giving them huge upgrades, greater budgetary support, and increased qualified manpower who have the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to carry out their new mandate.
Consequently, instead of improving and upgrading, the Hon. Premier and his Cabinet are planning to close down the Tourist Board, including the offices in our key source markets. This move will no doubt also negatively affect existing staff, as there is no guarantee that they will be offered placement in the two new Bodies.
In an attempt to justify this closure, he stated that, “We must ensure sustainable growth that reflects our luxury branding, and one that allow us to really fine tune our offerings as a destination.” He went on to state that, “the figures showing an increase in arrivals for 2021, and record numbers, when compared to the third quarter arrivals in 2019, and it would only get better based on the projections that we are seeing. We must position the country to ensure that we sustain and that we manage this upward trend in arrivals into 2022 and beyond.”
This statement made by the Hon. Premier confirms that, notwithstanding its current structure and limited resources, the Tourist Bard has been performing their duties, and performing well. The country has been seeing the fruits of their labour. Therefore, I do believe that if we want to demand greater output from the Tourist Board with a greater mandate, simply give them greater resources, provide further training, introduce new jobs with the needed descriptions, with the suitable pay level, which would allow for more of our best and brightest to be attracted to work in the industry.
The Hon. Premier went on to say that, “the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board has done a great job given its current mandate, that mandate is limited however. And so the goal is to advance the Turks and Caicos Islands to the next level, to solidify the country as a top destination in the region, and one of the best in the world.” Why does the Hon. Premiere think that when given the optimum resources, our people cannot achieve this “taking the Turks & Caicos to the next level”?
I strongly believe that the Tourist Board can, give them a fair opportunity to succeed with the new mandate, if given the needed resources, and allow for the restructuring of the duties. Allow the Tourist Board to have the resources and manpower similar to that which would be found in a well performing DMMO, and you will see them fulfill, and possibly surpass, this mandate.
The Premier and his Cabinet should not be using Government to create a problem, and then justifying the dismantling of it, only to replace it with a system that is not ideal for our people and our country. This is a solution in search of a problem.
I do not agree with the Hon. Premier’s rationale for closing down the Tourist Board, there is no legitimate rational basis for the Government to get rid of the Tourist Board.
Has the DMMO already being selected? How was the selection made? What is the name of the selected DMMO? Who are the owners and shareholders in the DMMO? Where is this DMMO’s home base? How much will the People of the Turks and Caicos be paying them?
Hon. Premier, the People need to know!!!
I firmly believe that the Tourist Board should not be closed down, but be given the opportunity to grow and diversify. I am asking the Hon. Premier, it is ok for leaders to admit they made mistakes as long as they quickly correct them, we all make mistakes. For the good of those who work in the Tourism sector, for the good of those employed with the Tourist Board, for the good of the future of Tourism in the Turks & Caicos Islands, please reverse your decision of scrapping the Tourist Board, and rather focus on strengthening and enhancing its capabilities and functioning. Give them a chance to tackle the new mandate, and show you and your Cabinet, and the country that they did it before, and with the right resources, they can do it again!!
Premier Misick and his Cabinet are wrong for disregarding the people’s views in this decision, the Premier and the Minister responsible for Tourism should have come to the people first and should allow for further wider consultation before making the decision. Why is there such great urgency to get this done? To deny the people a fair chance to give their opinions, and to already be in a rush process to close down the Tourist Board is absolutely the wrong decision.
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
