The Turks and Caicos Islands is experiencing a resurgence in tourism in 2023, with visitor arrivals matching pre-pandemic levels.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) State of Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), Minister of Tourism, Josephine Connolly said the islands are on track to match 2022 visitor arrivals for both cruise and airline passengers.
The UK overseas territory, which is located in the northern Caribbean, welcomed 321,423 passengers via air from January to June 2023. Tourists from the United States accounted for 90.5 per cent of visitors, followed by Canada and the United Kingdom.Arrivals are expected to increase further as the major airlines are expected to increase their airlift from the US, Canada, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.
The islands are also becoming a popular destination for cruise ships, with over 491,000 cruise passengers visiting in 2023. This represents a 51.72 per cent increase over the same period in 2022.
Connolly said a new marketing and product development strategy, which will be executed via the new Experience Turks and Caicos agency, will build awareness about all the islands as they each have unique experiences to offer visitors.
