By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, May 2, 2023 – Residents are questioning why the Turks & Caicos Real Estate Association, TCREA a major economic player was left off of the newly minted Board of the Destination Marketing and Management Organization and Premier Washington Misick explained there was no malicious intent.
“Basically, the original list had nine persons on each side and the decision was made that the Board should be 16 people and we had to leave someone out,” he said during a press conference on the DMMO held at the Shore Club on April 24th.
The split between the 16 public and private voting members is even, and covers an umbrella of tourism stakeholders, but some residents thought it curious that TCREA was missing.
“I believe the Real Estate Association are associate members of the TCHTA or at least some of them are, but someone had to be left out and it just happened to be [them].”
The explanation falls even more confusing when taken in the context of the millions of dollars’ worth of property sales that TCREA facilitates each year. Misick went on to say that they were still partners with the Government, and there was nothing to stop them from becoming members of the DMO.
The Public Members of the Board include: the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing & Planning; Ministry of Finance; Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA); TCI Ports Authority 5, Invest Turks and Caicos; Ministry of Immigration and Border Services; Turks and Caicos National Trust; and finally the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources.
Private Members of the DMMO include: the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association; The Turks and Caicos Taxi Association; Turks and Caicos Chamber of Commerce; TCI Restaurant Association; Regional DMO leader Providenciales, West Coast; Regional DMO leader Grand Turk Island, Salt Cay, and lesser cays; Regional DMO leader North, Middle, and West Caicos; Regional DMO leader East & South Caicos.
