ETC Newsletter May/June 2025

IGEST

EXPERIENCETURKSANDCAICOS

Experience Turks and Caicos is pleased to announce the appointmentofMr.PaulPennicookasInterimCEOConsultant.A respectedleaderintheregionaltourismindustry,Mr.Pennicook brings a wealth of experience to the role, with a distinguished career spanning both public and private sector leadership acrosstheCaribbean.

Growing up in Jamaica, where tourism plays a vital role in shaping national development, Mr Pennicook was drawn to the industry from an early age His passion led him to earn a prestigious hospitality scholarship to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration an early milestone that marked the beginningofaremarkableprofessionaljourney.

Upon returning to Jamaica, he held key hotel management roles before ascending to senior executive positions, including Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for SuperClubs Resorts, Executive Vice President of Unique Vacations, and President&CEOofCouplesResorts

Mr Pennicook has also served twice as Director of Tourism for Jamaica, where he helped redefine the country’s global brand, achieving record-breaking visitor arrivals and launching groundbreaking initiatives such as the Once You Go, You Know advertisingcampaignandtheJamaicaHouseactivationatthe 2016RioOlympics.

His portfolio further includes positions such as Senior Vice President,CommercialforAirJamaicaandCEOoftheCuraçao TouristBoard,wherehecentralisedglobalmarketingeffortsand redirectedsalesdistributionstrategiesforgreaterimpact.

In February 2022, he launched Pennicook & Associates, an integrated hospitality and tourism consultancy offering expert guidance in investment strategy, destination marketing, and hoteloperations.

With his deep industry insight and results-driven approach, Mr Pennicook is poised to support Experience Turks and Caicos in elevating the destination’s global positioning and long-term tourismdevelopment

EXPERIENCETURKSANDCAICOSLAUNCHES FIRSTCAMPAIGNINNEWYORKCITY

Experience Turks and Caicos has unveiled its first-ever international marketing campaign, leveraging the art ofstorytellingtoshowcasewhytheTurksandCaicosIslandsistheultimatetraveldestination.

The campaign, titled “My Turks and Caicos Story,” is strategically aimed at the United States market and debuted at an exclusive dinner hosted at STK Restaurant in New York City during the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s Caribbean Week. The event brought together select travel advisors and esteemed travel journalists from publications such as AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Travel + Leisure and Travel Weekly,

Leading the delegation from the Turks and Caicos Islands was Minister of Tourism Hon. Zhavargo Jolly, accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Mr. Wesley Clerveaux, Executive Assistant LeandreaMissick,InterimCEO/ConsultantofExperienceTurksandCaicosMr.PaulPennicook,ChiefMarketing OfficerMs.TrinaAdams,andPublicRelationsManagerMs.LauraDowrich.Addingcharmandelegancetothe occasionwereMissTurksandCaicosUniverse2024RaynaeMyersandJuniorMinisterofTourismAdeCushnie. In his remarks, Hon Jolly discussed the Ministry’s commitment to sustainability in tourism, highlighting initiatives like the Eat Fresh Campaign, which aims to make locally-grown produce more accessible to both residentsandvisitors

“This campaign draws on the voices and memories of our most loyal visitors those who have fallen in love with our islands and keep coming back Their stories bring to life the magic of the Turks and Caicos, encouragingotherstocreatetheirownunforgettableexperiences,”Mr Pennicooksaid

The campaign will roll out in two phases In the first phase, three testimonial videos featuring visitors sharing their personal experiences will be launched on Experience Turks and Caicos’ social media platforms In the second phase, past visitors will be invited to share their cherished memories, anecdotes, and stories for a chancetowinaluxuriousstayatsomeoftheTurksandCaicos’topresorts

ParticipatingresortsincludetitlesponsorWymaraResortandVillas,GraceBayResorts,andBeachEnclave.

CTOCARIBBEANWEEK2025

TheTurksandCaicosIslandsattendedadynamicandproductiveweekofengagementduringtheCaribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) annual Caribbean Week in New York City one of the premier gatherings of regionaltourismleaders,globaltravelexperts,andindustrystakeholders

LedbyHon ZhavargoJolly,MinisterofTourism,Agriculture,Fisheries,Environment,andGaming,theTurksand Caicos delegation joined fellow CTO member states in promoting regional unity, strengthening international partnerships,andshapingtheCaribbean’scollectivetourismfuture.

HostedintheheartofNewYorkCity,theweeklongeventfeaturedhigh-levelmeetings,policydiscussions,and expert panels on topics ranging from sustainable tourism and regional airlift to investment strategies and culturalbranding

CHTATRAVELMARKETPLACE

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Experience Turks and Caicos, along with hotel partners, attended the 43 CHTA Travel Marketplace held in AntiguaandBarbudafromMay18 to22nd

Theeventfeaturedamedia briefinginwhichInterimCEOConsultantPaulPennicookdeliveredadestination update to the travel media about stayover arrivals and cruise passengers for the first quarter of 2025, plans forupgradesandexpansionoftheHowardHamiltonInternationalAirportandtheincreaseinroomstockwith theconstructionofnewpropertiesoverthenextfiveyears

TheETCteamalongwithhotelpartnerssuchastheHartlingGroup,Sailrock,Windsong,andTheTides,hosted severalmeetingswithtraveladvisors,serviceprovidersandothertourismstakeholders

VIRTUOSOSTUDYTOUR2025

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ExperienceTurksandCaicoshostednineVirtuosoTravelAdvisorsfromJune21 to28 AsaVirtuosoPreferredDestination withnineVirtuosoproperties,ourrelationshipwithVirtuosoisvitaltosellingthedestinationtoourhigh-endclientele

Thetrip,aStudyTour,allowedtheadvisorstoseeandlearnaboutthedestinationfirst-hand Whilehere,theydidseveral sitevisitstovariouspropertiesandexperiencedoutmulti-islanddestinationwithvisitstoSouthCaicos,NorthandMiddle Caicos,andtwoofourprivateislandresorts,AmbergrisCayandCOMOParrotCay.

The group also indulged in local culture with a visit to the Fish Fry which they thoroughly enjoyed as well as a boat excursion with Island Paradise Tours Thank you to our hotel partners Wymara Resort and Spa, the Shore Club, COMO ParrotCay,Salterra,Sailrock,ThePalms,AmbergrisCay,BeachEnclaveandRockHouse forpartneringwithus

VoteforTCIintheWorldTravelAwards

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'sLeadingFamilyTravelDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingHoneymoonDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingLuxuryIslandDestination2025

·Caribbean'sLeadingTouristBoard2025

Caribbean'sMostRomanticDestination2025

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

PARTNERUPDATES

Wymara Resort + Villas, the luxury retreat in Turks and Caicos, introduced the latest dining experience with Land + Sea, a new oceanfront restaurant located on the grounds of its secludedWymaraVillas+BeachClub

Set just above the island’s brilliant blue water, Land + Sea offers a refined, open-air dining experience for lunch and dinner, combining striking design with a menu built around fresh seafood, prime cuts, and island-inspired ingredients

Led by Director of Culinary and Executive Chef Andrew Mirosch, the menu is shaped by two elements: Land, showcasing premium aged cuts and grilled favourites, and Sea, with a focus on fresh seafood prepared with skill, balanceanddepthofflavour.

MinistryofTourismandExperienceTurks andCaicosMeetwithPoliceCommissioner

A delegation comprising PS Wesley Clerveaux from the Ministry of Tourism, Experience Turks and Caicos’ Interim CEO Consultant Mr Paul Pennicook and Public Relations Manager Ms Laura Dowrich met the new Police Commissioner, Mr Fitz Bailey on May 30 , to discuss police initiatives to make Turks and Caicos one of thesafestdestinationsintheregion

AlsopresentwereexecutivemembersoftheRoyalTurks&CaicosPoliceForce,ActingDeputyCommissioner KendallGrantandActingAssistantCommissionerDwightGardiner.

AmongtheinitiativesrevealedbytheCoPare:

TriplicationofthesizeofthepoliceforcewithspecialistofficersfromJamaica,Barbados,andtheUK

ThecreationofadedicatedTourismPoliceUnittopatrolareasfrequentedbytourists

Collaborationwithpropertiestoassessandenhancesecurity.

InstallationofCCTVcamerasandincreasingnighttimepatrolsinpopularnightlifeareas

ThemeetingservedtostrengthenthepartnershipbetweentheMinistry,ExperienceTurksandCaicosandthe police as we work to protect our residents and visitors and ensure that our brand as a safe destination is secure

EXPERIENCETURKSANDCAICOSPARTNER WITHPORTHOLEMAGAZINETOPUT SPOTLIGHTONGRANDTURK

Experience Turks and Caicos is putting Grand Turk in the spotlight From May 5–8, 2025, Experience Turks and CaicosengagedMr BillPanoff,publisherandtravelexpert from Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine, to produce a DigitalTravelContentepisodepromotingGrandTurkasa premiercruisedestination

Duringhisvisit,Mr Panoffexploredtheisland’srichhistory and vibrant culture through an island tour led by Mr Robert Hall, Brand Ambassador for Experience Turks and Caicos

His itinerary included visits to the Turks and Caicos National Museum, interactive sessions with local chefs, and time spent with the community engaging in traditional games like dominoes and dining across some ofthelocalrestaurants.

HealsoexperiencedGrandTurk’sworld-renownedmarine attractions with a water excursion hosted by local operator Exclusive Escapes, where he snorkeled, harvested conch, enjoyed a live demonstration of fresh conch salad preparation, visited Gibbs Cay to swim with stingrays, and captured stunning film and photos of the island’siconicwalldivingexperience

ETCATSOUTHCAICOSREGATTA

Experience Turks and Caicos continues to support activities and events around the destination As such, our South Caicos Rep, Chaim Manswell, was front and centre at the South Caicos Regatta which took place on May 23rd

We thank the MP for South Caicos, Mr. Tamell Seymour, and his team for ensuring that this signature event took place this year and we are happy to support the Big South community as we strive to fulfill our mandate of promoting tourism throughout all of our islands for the benefit of our people

TurksandCaicosIslandsFeaturedinOprah Daily’sFirstTravelEdition

TheTurksandCaicosislandsisinthefirsttraveleditionoftheTheOprahDailyMagazine.Formerly, O Magazine, Oprah Daily is published by The Hearst Corporation. The first ever travel issue, publishedinJune,aimstoinspirepeopletotraveltheworld,relaxandgetlostinthewonderofa new destination Experience Turks and Caicos is pleased to have collaborated with the Oprah Daily magazine for this inaugural travel issue to feature the beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands.WeareespeciallypleasedtobetheonlyCaribbeandestinationinvitedtoadvertiseinthis issuewhichalsofeaturedAmanyaraasoneofthetopwellnessresortstovisitintheworld.

OutlookTravelPublishesTurksandCaicos IslandsTravelGuide

Foryetanotheryear,OutlookTravelhasfeaturedtheTurksandCaicosIslandsinitsannualtravel guide The guide features a Q&A with Chief Marketing Officer Ms Trina Adams for industry insightsaswellasfeaturesonmanyofourpartnersinthetourismandhospitalityindustry, We thankallofourpartnerswhocontributedtothistravelguide ToreadthefullissueclickHERE

DESTINATIONINSIGHTS

HOTELCLOSURES

It’sthattimeofyearwhenthedestinationgetsalittlequieterandpropertiestakeadvantageofthe season’s slowdown to do maintenance work and prepare for the busy winter season ahead Each year some of our hotels use this time to close operations to conduct maintenance work and do important upgrades to their properties that are closing for a few months We’ve compiled a list of propertiesthatwillbeclosedovernextfewmonths.

AMBERGRISCAYPRIVATEISLANDRESORT:SEPTEMBER2ND–OCT8TH(REOPENOCT9)

ALEXANDRARESORT:SEPTEMBER1ST–OCT15TH(REOPENOCT16)

BLUEHAVEN:SEPTEMBER1ST–OCT15TH(REOPENOCT16)

COMOPARROTCAY:AUGUST31STTOOCTOBER14TH(REOPENOCT15)

OCEANCLUBEAST:AUGUST25TH–OCTOBER9TH

OCEANCLUBWEST:AUGUST30TH–OCTOBER10TH

PINECAYRESORT:JUNE15 -OCTOBER22ND TH

POINTGRACE:SEPTEMBER2ND-OCTOBER2ND

THESHORECLUB: AUGUST24TH-OCTOBER3RD(REOPENOCT4TH)

ExperienceTurksandCaicos

TheRegentVillage Number3,GraceBayRoad Providenciales,TurksandCaicosIslands TKCA1ZZ

ForGeneralQueriescontact:

Mr.PaulPennicook,InterimCEOConsultant

Email: ppennicook@myexperiencetci.com

ForMarketingQueriescontact: ChiefMarketingOfficer

Ms.TrinaAdams

Email: tadams@myexperiencetci.com Phone:(649)-331-7134

ForMediaQueriescontact: PublicRelationsManager

Ms.LauraDowrich

Email: ldowrich@myexperiencetci.com Phone:(649)-341-4071

Website:visitturksandcaicos.com