ETC Newsletter March/April 2025 by MyExperienceTCI

IGEST

Experience Turks and Caicos is expanding its global reach by partnering with three top-tier marketing agencies across the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

This strategic move aims to elevate the destination’s presence in key international markets, driving greater awareness, visitor engagement, and tourism growth. With specialised expertise in digital marketing, brand storytelling, and market penetration, these agencies will promote the Turks and Caicos Islands in their respective markets at trade shows, conferences, workshopswithtraveladvisorsandtouroperatorsand throughmarketingcampaigns

The agencies were selected following a rigorous procurement process that garnered applications from severalagencies

In the US, the successful agency was ABA Global Marketing, in Canada, VoX International was the selected agency while EM Marketing won the bid for LatinAmerica.

EXPERIENCETURKSANDCAICOSATTENDSUNITE CARIBBEAN

Experience Turks and Caicos, along with hotel partners, continued efforts to increase visitation to the Turks and Caicos Islands from the United Kingdom through attendance at the 24 Unite Caribbean on March 10 andDestinationCaribbeanbytheCoastonMarch11 and12 th th th th

Unite Caribbean took place at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London’s Westminster Ms Trina Adams, Chief Marketing Officer of Experience Turks and Caicos, led a delegation which included Mrs Stacy Cox, CEO of the Turks and Caicos Hotels and Tourism Association (TCHTA), Ms Francine Stewart, Director of Sales and Marketing, Ambergris Cay and Ms Victoria Cramer, Experience Turks and Caicos’ UK Marketing Representative

Unite Caribbean is a ‘one-stop-shop’ event for UK and European-based tour operators and Caribbean suppliers - tourist boards, hoteliers, representation companies, airlines, ground handlers and car hire companies At the event, Experience Turks and Caicos met with 21 tour operator product managers and createdstrategiestobuildawarenessandfurthersalestothedestinationofTurksandCaicosIslands

Experience Turks and Caicos proudly represented the Turks and Caicos Islands at two major Latin American travel trade events WTM Latin America 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil (April 14–16), and Caribbean Caravan Reloaded in Argentina (April 22–23) as part of a strategic initiative to reintroduce the destination to the Latin American marketandstrengthentieswiththeregion’stoptraveladvisorsandtouroperators

At WTM Latin America, one of the region’s leading travel trade shows, the Turks and Caicos delegation participatedundertheCaribbeanTourismOrganization’s(CTO)CaribbeanPavilionatBoothM90,joiningregional partners including Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint-Martin. Experience Turks and Caicos’ChiefMarketingOfficerTrinaAdamsledthedelegationwhichincludednewlyappointedLATAMmarketing representatives,EMMarketingandCommunications,spearheadedbyElsaPeterson.

“AsLatinAmericacontinuestogrowasanimportantsourcemarketfortheCaribbean,ourpresenceatWTMLatin Americaisbothtimelyandstrategic,”saidMs Adams “WeareelatedtocollaboratewiththeCTOinrepresenting the Caribbean region This event marked our formal reintroduction to the LATAM market, where interest in Turks andCaicosissurging evidencedbytheincreasingnumberoftravel-relatedsearchesandconsumercuriosity”

DESTINATION

SEATRADE2025

SeatradeCruiseGlobalmarkedits40thanniversaryinamilestoneeventheldfromApril7–10,2025,attheMiami Beach Convention Centre This prestigious gathering united the global cruise community, celebrating four decadesofprogresswhileaddressingthekeyopportunitiesandchallengesshapingthefutureofcruisetravel

Experience Turks and Caicos was proudly represented at this year’s event with a vibrant and engaging booth Despite its modest size, the booth served as a hub of interest, showcasing the destination’s diverse travel offerings,infrastructuredevelopments,anduniqueculturalexperiences

Representing Experience TCI were Mr Alverson Lewis and Ms Latanya Gardiner, both Senior Product Development Officers The Ministry of Tourism was also present, with Deputy Secretary Mr Arthur Been and TourismRiskManagerMr BrianBeenattendingsessionsandsupportingboothengagement

TCI Nominated for Best Beach Vacation

Experience Turks and Caicos is pleased to announce that the world-famous Grace Bay Beach has been nominated for Air Canada Vacations’ Travellers’ Top Picks awards in the BeachVacationcategory

Voting is open until June 30th To vote and see moredetailsabouttheawards,pleaseclickhere

TCI Nominated

for

9 World Travel Awards

The Turks and Caicos Islands is once again nominated for several categories in the World TourismAwards.

·Caribbean'sLeadingBeachDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingCruiseDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingDiveDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingFamilyTravelDestination202

·Caribbean'sLeadingHoneymoonDestination2025

Caribbean'sLeadingLuxuryIslandDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingTouristBoard2025

·Caribbean'sMostRomanticDestination2025

Votes can be cast by travel professionals, media and tourism consumers. Voting is now openandendsonAugust10th.

Grace Bay Ranked #10 Best Beach in the World

The Turks and Caicos Islands’ world-renowned Grace Bay Beach has been ranked among the top ten beaches in the 2025World’s50BestBeaches

Grace Bay Beach, located on the island of Providenciales, was rankednumber10,movingupsevenplacesfrom2024’slist.This prestigious recognition comes from an international panel of over 1,000 vetted travel professionals and influencers who collectivelyshapetheglobaltourismconversation.

COMMUNITYUPDATES

NEWSIGNAGEINSTALLEDATKEYSITES

The Product Development Unit has successfully executed several initiatives as part of its ongoing product enhancement efforts across the islands. These projects focus on improving key natural and heritage attractions to enrich the visitor experience whilepromotingculturalpreservation

InNorthCaicos,enhancementsweremadeto the Crossing Place Trail and Juniper Hole, including the addition of shaded seating and interpretive signage A broader signage project was also undertaken in collaboration with the Turks and Caicos National Trust, resulting in the installation of signs at several notable heritage and natural sites, including theiconicBambarraBeach,recentlyvotedthe Caribbean’s number one beach in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award 2025 Sites enhanced through this collaboration include:

CottagePond

FlamingoPond

CrossingPlaceTrail&JuniperHole

HauloverPlantation

WadesGreenPlantation

Further joint efforts with the National Trust led totheinstallationofsignageatBirdRockPoint in Providenciales, with additional signage at Little Water Cay. Additional enhancement projectsincludethedevelopmentoftheNorth Beach Trail on Salt Cay, featuring a new welcome sign and visitor seating, as well as signage improvements at the Boiling Hole in SouthCaicos

These initiatives collectively contribute to heritage conservation, improve site interpretation, and advance the overall development of sustainable tourism products throughouttheTurksandCaicosIslands

KiteFlyingFestivalReturns

The Easter weekend marked the much-anticipated return of a cherished island tradition: the Kite Flying Competition, sponsored by ExperienceTurksandCaicosandhostedbytheMinistryofTourismin GrandTurkandProvidenciales

Participants competed in various categories, including Largest Kite, Smallest Kite and Best Traditional Kite, showcasing both innovation and a deep respect for cultural practices that have been lovingly passeddownthroughgenerations.

We thank all the vendors, DJs, entertainers and participants for makingtheeventsspecial.

AWARDS&RECOGNITIONS

Congratulations to the following for their awards andrecognitions

Six properties are among the winners in the 2025ForbesStarAwards.Amanyara,Wymara ResortandVillasandSevenStarsResortwere awarded Four-Star status, given to exceptional properties, offering high levels of serviceandqualityoffacilitytomatch.Como

Parrot Cay, Grace Bay Club and Somerset on Grace Bay were given a Recommended rating,whichawardsthemforbeingexcellent propertieswithconsistentlygoodserviceand facilities.

AmbergrisCayprivateIslandResorthasbeen acceptanceintotheVirtuosoLuxuryPortfolio.

WymaraResortandSpahasbeenawardeda Green Globe Certification, a globally recognised standard for sustainable tourism. Initsinauguralaudit,Wymaraplacedamong the top-performing first-time applicants, layingthegroundworkforcontinuedprogress towardclimate-conscioushospitality.

NEWAPPOINTMENTS

Human Resource and Operations Manager

ExperienceTurksandCaicos’Human ResourcesManager,Mrs.Kitchandra Penn-McDonaldhasnbeenpromoted totheroleofHumanResourceand OperationsManager.Mrs.PennMcDonaldwillnowaddresponsibilities foroperationstoherduties.

Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort has become the ninth Virtuoso property in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Experience Turks and Caicos, in collaboration with our overseas PR reps, have been working hard to highlight the Turks and Caicos brand internationally. The Turks and Caicos Islands continue to attractheadlinesthankstoourcontinuedmediaFAMtrips,pitchesandpressreleases.Belowisa snapshotofthosestoriesinwhichthedestinationwasfeaturedinJanuaryandFebruary Read