Turks and Caicos welcomes 1M cruise passengers
The Turks and Caicos Islands have welcomed one million passengers in the first 10 months of 2024.
There have been 1,034,251 cruise passengers arriving at the Grand Turk Cruise Center up to Oct. 31, 2024, far surpassing the 924,250 total number of passengers that arrived in 2023.
“Grand Turk is on fire!” said Minister of Tourism, Josephine Connolly. “Grand Turk has certainly seen an uptick in the number of ships and passengers arriving at the Cruise Center throughout the year, and this is supported by a recent BREA report that showed over the last year, $116 million dollars was spent by cruise passengers, crews , and the cruise lines. Experience Turks and Caicos, along with my Ministry, have taken note of the growth in our cruise sector, and we are working to enhance our product offerings and visitor experiences with new initiatives and infrastructural enhancements to ensure Grand Turk remains one of the top ports for cruise lines.”
New cruise lines come to Turks and Caicos
Over the past year, the Grand Turk Cruise Center has welcomed new cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean and MSC Seascape.
As Experience Turks and Caicos seeks to capitalize on the growing popularity of Grand Turk, we are focused on creating new and enhanced offerings for visitors while ensuring our citizens benefit economically, which serves our pillar of inclusive growth.
New offerings for visitors
We recently collaborated with the Aquila Center for Cruise to offer two workshops on Product Development and Vendor Excellence to encourage tour operators and vendors to strengthen their businesses and create new opportunities.
Experience Turks and Caicos has also launched a weekly food and culture fair called Taste of Turks, which takes place every Thursday from 10 am to 8:30 pm on Queen Street.
This celebration of cuisine and culture creates an immersive experience for cruise passengers and locals alike, featuring vendors selling authentic Turks and Caicos Islands cuisine, Made in TCI gifts, and live performances.
