Above: TCI

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean is increasingly looking to Latin America for hard-fought tourism dollars, and the Turks and Caicos Islands is the latest destination to look to tap into that market.

Turks and Caicos Tourism has embarked on a major marketing push in Brazil, with a combination of media advertising and attendance at several trade expos.

“There is no doubt that the Brazilian market presents immense potential for the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Ralph Higgs, director of tourism for the Turks and Caicos Tourism Board. “We have been studying the trends of the Brazilian consumers for quite some time and we’re very confident, with new development projects in the works.”

Higgs said that, particularly with the redevelopment of the Providenciales International Airport in progress, now was a “pivotal time to increase our visibility and position the Turks and Caicos as an easily accessible, luxury destination of choice.”

The TCI has also launched a Brazilian-language Facebook page, marketing the “Ilhas Turks e Caicos.”

The page has “seen promising growth within a short time for a new market,” said Oehleo Higgs, senior public relations officer at the Tourist Board. The page currently has 134 likes as of Thursday.