PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Sunday, November 23, 2008- Turks and Caicos Islands culture was on prominent display at the commencement of the 19th annual Tourism Awareness Week festivities at the National Stadium in Providenciales yesterday, Saturday, November 22nd.
The kick-off event saw the youth of this 'Beautiful by Nature' country marching in a motorcade from Pizza Pizza to the stadium with their elaborately designed banners and costuming, dancing and singing as they passed revelers cheering them on to inspiring rhythms of TCI beats.
The mood at the stadium was electric and ecstatic, as adults and youths alike turned out to see our culture and hear speakers give talk as to why it is important to 'Sustaining Service Excellence' in our tourism product.
Glorious food a plenty were to be judged and devoured at the Island Dish/Food Display and Competition; so much so that Master of Ceremonies Ms. Blythe Clare continually cried that she has yet to see so much of what we enjoy as a people. Hash shark, hash lobster, Wilkes soup, conch and grits, fry cake, crab and rice were some of the dishes. Sumptuous Island delicacies: Salt Cay Candies, Milk Fudge, Peanut Brittle, Banny Cake, coconut duce, tamarind preserve, cream-crackers and, Potatoe and Cassava Bread were gobbled up. And to wash it all down: Switcher, the Marble and lime juice drink.
Not to be outdone, the local schools put on a cultural performance that had the capacity crowd roaring with cheers, more so when Enid Capron Primary of Providenciales trumped their competitors with a 'Harvest Time in Salt Cay' skit and dance performance.
In celebrating our growing and productive tourism commerce, the Turks and Caicos Islands is hosting this years Tourism Awareness Week under the theme: "Empowering the Hosts Population through Product Knowledge"; which runs from November 22nd to the 29th and, sees to a plethora of actives to mark it.
The observance of Tourism Awareness week was initially celebrated in 1989, as a means to advance the culture of the Turks and Caicos, elevate awareness about the significance of tourism, and promote appreciation for the people that are the key components of the tourism industry.
It is hoped that through these events, not only during Tourism Awareness Week, but also in the future, we will not only discover more about what various tourist facilities that Turks and Caicos has to offer our visitors and what tourists have long loved about the TCI but we will also recognize, for ourselves, the value of tourism as a tool for promoting economic development, creating wealth and alleviating poverty.
The remainder of activities include: church services to be held at various Baptist churches, today, Sunday November 23rd; school visits on Monday November 24th; High School Speech Competition in South Caicos at the Regatta Village at 10AM on Tuesday November 25th; Tourism Awareness Conference at Beaches Turks & Caicos at 9:30AM to 4:30PM on Wednesday November 26th; Quiz Competition at The Dillon Hall in Grand Turk at 6:30PM on Thursday November 27th; Career Day at The Palms Resort in Provo from 10AM to 2PM on Friday November 28th and culminates with a Cultural Day in Grand Turk at the down town Gazebo at noon on Saturday November 29th.
For more information of this, and other tourism related matters, kindly contact the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board on (649) 946-4970 or visit
www.turksandcaicostourism.com
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