PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS - Tourism Minister, Josephine Connolly, says she remains optimistic that the tourism sector in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) will continue on its upward growth after the British Overseas Territory recorded an increase in air and cruise arrivals in the first four months of this year.
Tourism Minister, Josephine Connolly.“The data shows that our air arrival numbers are projected to remain high through August which indicates that our tourism sector will remain buoyant all year. This is great news for the people of Turks and Caicos as we are working assiduously, through Experience Turks and Caicos to ensure that everyone benefits from the tourism industry,” she said.
Official figures released here show that between from January to April, the TCI welcomed 271,326 air arrivals, an increase of 10.46 per cent over the corresponding period in 2023 when 245,637 people vicited the island.
The majority of the arrivals were from the United States with 215, 247 passengers, followed by Canada with 26, 275 and 5,031 passengers from the United Kingdom and Europe.
The cruise sector also recorded a slight increase in passengers in the first four months of this year, with 371,857 passengers visiting as compared with 371, 392 for the same period last year.
April saw 29 calls to port, the highest number for the year so far, boosted in part by four Royal Caribbean sailings to the Grand Turk Cruise following their suspension of the Haiti route due to unrest there.
Experience Turks and Caicos, the TCI’s destination marketing and management organisation, through its Community Connect Meetings, has been rolling out plans to diversify the destination, as well as enhancing visitor experience and partnering with stakeholders to ensure the success of the tourism sector.
