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| Minister of Tourism, the Hon Josephine Connolly |
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (October 18th, 2024) – The nation’s capital, Grand Turk, has emerged as the destination that American travelers searched for the most on Skyscanner over the last year.
In its 2025 Trending Destinations of the annual Travel Trends report, the leading travel search engine said that Grand Turk was the number one destination among the top ten that saw the biggest increases in searches over the past 12 months. Searches for Grand Turk increased by 528 percent.
The Turks and Caicos Islands overall was the top trending destination for those looking to relax in nature. Skyscanner said they analyzed tens of thousands of data points to understand what’s trending and why, and it’s clear that smaller, alternative destinations are growing in popularity with US travelers, who are looking to explore beyond the mainstream in the Americas and farther afield.
“As travelers turn to social media for inspiration, Turks and Caicos has seen increased interest as celebrities like the Kardashians, Biebers, and Drake, and influencer brand trips have popularized the destination – showcasing its natural beauty and perfectly Instagrammable backdrops,” Skyscanner said in its report.
Minister of Tourism, the Hon Josephine Connolly, expressed her delight with the results of Skyscanner’s analysis.
“The US market is our number one source market, and I am very pleased to see that our American visitors continue to embrace the warmth, calm, and beauty of our multi-island destination, as evidenced by the searches for Grand Turk. We are beautiful by nature, and each of our eight inhabited islands offers visitors a unique experience,” the Minister said.
“With respect to Grand Turk, Experience Turks and Caicos is working with other tourism stakeholders to create new tourism products and enhance the visitor experience there. From new signage on historical sites to the November launch of a Taste of Turks and Caicos culinary event every Thursday during cruise ship hours to showcase local cuisine and culture to visiting cruise passengers, they are dedicated to positioning the nation’s capital as one of the top destinations within the Turks and Caicos Islands,” she added.
The Cruise Capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Grand Turk is rich in history. A walk along the capital city Cockburn Town transports visitors to an age when salt production was dominant, and colonialists from Bermuda inhabited the island, leaving behind their distinct architecture.
Grand Turk is also a key player in NASA’s history. After orbiting the Earth in 1962, Colonel John Glenn’s capsuletouched down in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Turks and Caicos, and his first step on dry land took place on Grand Turk. Today, a display paying homage to that landing resides in the Turks and Caicos National Museum, and a replica of the capsule is displayed near the JAGS McCartney Airport.
The museum itself contains a wealth of fascinating displays, including a 500-800-year-old Lucayan carved wood ceremonial chair, and artifacts from the Molasses Reef Wreck, which was the oldest European shipwreck excavated in the Western Hemisphere.
Read the Skyscanner report HERE.
Tags: Josephine Connolly, Turks and Caicos Islands, Skyscanner
