The Turks & Caicos Tourist Board has announced that after 20 years of employment, Ralph Higgs has tenured his resignation as director of tourism.

Higgs will step down from the roll on September 30th, 2016.

Under Higgs’ directorship, the Turks & Caicos Islands received numerous accolades from the likes of World Travel Awards.

The destination also experienced a steady increase in tourist arrivals annually.

During his tenure at the tourist board, Higgs steered the organisation through several metamorphoses, including over staffing to understaffing, and over funding to insufficient budgets.

However, the tourist board and the destination reinvented itself through a new marketing approach which sought the greatest return on investment and greater cooperation and collaboration with private sector partners.

“The fundamentals of TCI Tourism are strong.

“Our natural sites and attractions, while some may need a little attention, are in pristine condition.

“Our room inventory is first class.

“Other offerings including culinary and our weekly cultural extravaganza are the envy of the region.

“We have never had more flights from international and regional gateways as we do now, and traveling between our Sister Islands has never been easier.

“Certainly our people have never been more embracing of our visitors and our tourism sector,” Higgs said.