Turks gets tourism

November 7, 2009

Dear Sir,

The Government keeps telling us it's the recession we are in that is causing the loss of tourism. I don't think so. The following from the Turks and Caicos Sun suggests otherwise. I can"t wait for the spin from the Government:

"Tourism officials expect good winter season

"The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board is pleased to announce that in spite of the tough economic times worldwide, destination Turks and Caicos continues to be one of the most sought after vacation destinations in the region.

"While long stay visitor arrivals are down slightly – two percent – for the first ten months of 2009, arrivals to the destination continue to be better than expected, all things considered.

"For the first ten months in 2009, long stay visitors totalled 222,834 compared to 227,288 visitors for the same period in 2008. In 2008 the total number of cruise passengers to our nation's capital Grand Turk totalled 237,871 visitors.

"For the first seven months of 2009 (January to July) the TCI welcomed 237,113 cruise passengers. By the end of 2009 the Board expects that the total number of cruise passengers visiting these islands will surpass that of 2008 by an estimated 45 percent.

Acting Director of Tourism Ralph Higgs said that he is very optimistic about the upcoming winter season, noting that: "We have reliable airlift from all of our major gateways with additional air service from the Canadian market via WestJet and American Airlines will be re-introducing its flight from Dallas Forth Worth which will make the Turks and Caicos more accessible from the Midwest and West Coast markets."

SMITH'S