2021 News

Turks and Caicos Islands Travel Requirements

PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS (July 22, 2021) – The Turks and Caicos Islands announces an update to travel requirements to the destination as a part of TCI Assured, a quality assurance pre-travel program and portal, which will require all travelers to present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR, NAA, RNA or Antigen test result from a test taken within three days of travel, effective on July 28, 2021.

The date of the sample collection must be within three days (72 hours) of the travel date, which was reduced from the previous requirement of a test to be taken within five days of arrival, and a Test Date Calculator on the TCI Assured portal will assist travelers in determining when to take the test. Approved amendments to the Arriving Passengers Health Clearance Regulations also in effect on July 28 include the acceptance of professionally administered Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests (RT-PCR); Nucleic Acid Amplification tests (NAA); RNA or molecular tests; and Antigen tests for entry to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The test must be conducted by a medical laboratory with either of the following credentials: accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP); registered by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA); ISO 15189 certification. Previously, the destination was only accepting RT-PCR tests. Antibody tests and results from home-based test kits will not be accepted.

“We are proud to have safely welcomed travelers to our beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands over the past year and are updating travel requirements to ensure ongoing vigilance and in consideration of the efficacy and turnaround of available COVID-19 tests,” said Honorable Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism for the Turks and Caicos Islands.  “More than 60 percent of the adult population in the Turks and Caicos Islands is fully vaccinated, making us one of the most inoculated countries in the world; combined with our updated TCI Assured program, we are confident in the overall wellbeing of our communities and visitors as travel to the destination continues to flourish.”

As part of TCI Assured, which has been in place for travelers since July 22, 2020, when the destination opened its borders to tourists, travelers must also have medical / travel insurance that covers medevac (insurance companies providing the prerequisite insurance will also be available on the portal), a completed health screening questionnaire, and certification that they have read and agreed to the privacy policy document.  These requirements must be complete and uploaded to the TCI Assured portal, which is available on the Turk and Caicos Islands Tourist Board website (www.turksandcaicostourism), in advance of their arrival.

The Turks and Caicos Islands has remained vigilant and consistent regarding its international traveler requirements, which are the same for vaccinated and non-vaccinated travelers. Because of this, the destination has received an Alert Level 1 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  This represents a major milestone in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ vaccine campaign, which began in January 2021 and has resulted in more than 60 percent of the adult population being fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine—making it one of the most inoculated countries in the world.

The Turks and Caicos Islands—home to the “World’s Best Beach”—is a coveted five-star luxury vacation destination for leisure, business, and notable guests from around the globe.  With nine main islands and about 40 small islands and uninhabited cays, the destination is inherently safe for travel in this new paradigm of physical distancing, given its expansiveness, stunning outdoor environment, privacy, spacious resort accommodations, and unique portfolio of extraordinary private villas and private islands vacations. An extensive list of COVID-19 testing facilities across all Sister Islands can be found on the Tourist Board’s official website www.turksandcaicostourism.com.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board encourages travelers to consider the CDC’s Travel Health Notices and the WTTC’s Safe Travels vacation destinations for 2020 and 2021. The Islands’ award-winning hotels and resorts, private villas, restaurants and bars, and tour operators are open and / or are accepting bookings.

For more information on the Turks and Caicos Islands, call 1 (800) 241-0824 or visit www.turksandcaicostourism.com.  Follow the Turks and Caicos Islands on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

St. Kitts & Nevis Celebrates the Reopening of Cruise

BASSETERRE (22 July, 2021) – St. Kitts & Nevis celebrates the resumption of cruise tourism with the arrival of the Seabourn Odyssey, a ship in the ultra-luxury Seabourn cruise line, which will make a port call every week during the period July to October 2021. Seabourn is recognized as one of the world’s leading luxury cruise lines, and caters to the more discerning traveler with their all-suite accommodations and industry-leading service.

A symbolic ship-to-ship salute, live steelpan performances and the renown drummers greeted the Odyssey, her passengers and crew as it docked at South Friars Bay. “Today is indeed a wonderful day for people of St. Kitts and Nevis as we warmly welcome the luxurious Seabourn Odyssey to our shores,” Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris said. “Tourism is one of the main drivers of the economy, and therefore our plan is to reopen the destination for tourism and travel responsibly. We have implemented a phased approach to rebuilding the cruise sector aimed at supporting our local economy and providing our visitors with a safe and positive on-island experience.”

“We are pleased to welcome the Seabourn Odyssey to St. Kitts and Nevis for the highly-anticipated restart of our cruise tourism sector,” Minister of Tourism, Honourable Lindsay F.P. Grant said. “St. Kitts is a destination that remains in high demand amongst travelers and I want to thank our cruise line partners and our stakeholders here on island for working so diligently with us to ensure that all the necessary requirements were met to allow for the successful return of cruises to the Federation. This is indeed a propitious occasion as we begin rebuilding towards our preeminent cruise port position in the region.”

St. Kitts is looking forward to the number of ships increasing steadily over the summer, with the following arrivals:

Thursday 29th July, 2021:

• Celebrity Summit

Wednesday 11th August, 2021

• Allure of the Seas

Thursday 12th August, 2021:

• Celebrity Summit

Tuesday 24th August, 2021: 

• Celebrity Equinox:

Wednesday 25th August, 2021: 

• Celebrity Summit:
•  Allure of the Seas

Thursday 26th August, 2021: 

• Symphony of the Seas

Currently, the minimum protocols for any cruise ship visiting in St. Kitts & Nevis include:

1. All crew and all passengers over the age of 18 must be vaccinated.
2. All passengers, crew and children under the age of 18 must present a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of homeport embarkation.
3. Only bubble vaccinated tours and attractions will be offered to cruise passengers.
4. Passengers and crew are not permitted to interact with the general population. All Tours will leave the dispatch area within the secure perimeter and return.
5. All personnel interacting with cruise vessel operations including ship agents, port staff, taxi and tour operators must be vaccinated.

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority in conjunction with the Ministry of Health has worked with stakeholders to develop fully vaccinated ‘Travel Approved’ bubble tours, to showcase the island’s one-of-a-kind attractions such as UNESCO World Heritage recognized Brimstone Hill Fortress, the St. Kitts Scenic Railway and Caribelle Batik.

St. Kitts became a Marquee Port after reaching the one million passenger mark in two cruise seasons in a row, 2017- 2018 and 2018- 2019. The destination was named the Cruise Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal in their 2020 Caribbean Travel Awards. The Federation was anticipating a third consecutive year of a million arrivals before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More Connections To Antigua And Barbuda With BA’s Heathrow Route

(ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA) July 22, 2021 – Antigua and Barbuda welcomed on Wednesday the resumption of the British Airways flight route from London Heathrow to Antigua.  It has been over thirty years since British Airways operated a flight to Antigua from Heathrow.  The flight is a key step in bringing further accessibility to UK travellers following the inclusion of Antigua and Barbuda on the UK’s coveted Green List.

Charles Fernandez, Minister for Tourism and Investment has said “The increase in airlift with British Airways is a very positive step for Antigua and Barbuda. The island is currently the number one destination in the Caribbean for BA and with additional flights running over summer and beyond, we are in a strong position to cater to the strong demand from one of our most important markets.”

The European market will also benefit from the new route which allows for seamless airline connections from Heathrow, which is a major gateway into the United Kingdom for many European airlines.

Yesterday’s flight also played host to a group of influential UK media and tour operators who are working closely with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority in the promotion of the destination. Over the course of their visit, the media and the agents will explore English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard, as well as some of the Antigua’s most loved restaurants, beaches and adventure activities. Key tour operators from Carrier, Kenwood Travel, Best at Travel and Caribtours are being joined by influential media from top tier trade and consumer titles, Robb Report, Travel Weekly, Wanderlust Magazine and the Press Association.

Cherrie Osborne, Director of Tourism UK & Europe for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority has said “It’s an excellent time to bring key UK journalists and agents to Antigua and Barbuda so they can safely experience the destination for themselves. The demand for holidays to Antigua and Barbuda has been immense, particularly with our inclusion on the UK’s Green List. This is an opportune trip to reach this key market in order to encourage bookings and visitation this summer and beyond.”

The addition to the UK’s Green List has been a key turning point this year as UK travellers are able to now holiday in Antigua and Barbuda without the need for quarantine on their return to the UK. This media and agent FAM trip is an instrumental step in promoting the islands as an ideal destination for a post-lockdown holiday and this inaugural flight will be followed by increased airlift over the summer. Beautiful beaches, some of the world’s leading hotels and amazing on island activities, Antigua and Barbuda is a nation that has consistently offered luxury escapes, romantic getaways, family fun, and above all, a healthy and safe island paradise.

Antigua and Barbuda Releases New Adverts For ‘Your Space In The Sun’ Tourism Campaign

(ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA) July 14, 2021 – The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority has intensified marketing efforts with the rollout of the next phase of Antigua and Barbuda’s ‘Your Space In The Sun’ campaign.

From July through to September, consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom will see Antigua and Barbuda advertising in-stadia, on radio – traditional, digital and streaming, in print – with advertising in major publications, through online programmatic and retargeting adverts and via strategic influencer social media campaigns.

Building on the concept of the ‘Your Space In the Sun’ campaign launched in July 2020, new creatives have been designed to entice persons to book Antigua and Barbuda.  The 2021 ‘Your Space In The Sun’ thirty and sixty second campaign videos feature stunning imagery and invitations to visitors to lose track of time, broaden their horizons and enjoy all the space they need in the destination.

This latest advertising push by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, comes immediately following the relaxing of Covid-19 travel restrictions in the United States and United Kingdom, that have opened up travel to Antigua and Barbuda.

“We have seen a rapid increase in demand for Antigua and Barbuda from these regions and expect to have a busy summer season. Our focus now is to build on this momentum with enhanced marketing activity that will take us through to the Fall”, said CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James.

As more tourism markets for Antigua and Barbuda re-open with flights available to the destination, ‘Your Space In The Sun’ advertising will roll out in these locations.