Businesses Come Together for New Visit TCI Book Direct Campaign

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — The largest travel website dedicated to the Turks and Caicos Islands is calling on tourists to make one simple change that can make a big impact: book direct.

With more than 2 million annual unique users, Visit Turks and Caicos Islands (VisitTCI.com) is the premier destination for trip planning in the country—and now, it’s leading a new initiative to keep more of the tourism economy local. The Book Direct campaign launched today with a feature video that highlights resorts, water sports businesses, and transportation companies—from Caicos Express Airways and H2O Resort to Fast Track TCI and Grace Bay Car Rentals—voicing the benefits of booking direct, set against the backdrop of exclusive VisitTCI.com content showcasing the country's beauty.

The campaign’s goal is to further the conversation on responsible and sustainable travel by encouraging tourists to book directly with hotels and resorts, tour operators, and experience providers, versus large international booking platforms that charge these companies high fees.

“We’re proud to be the largest and most trusted source for Turks and Caicos travel,” says Daniel J. LeVin, Executive Editor of Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. “By booking directly with our hotels and tourism businesses, visitors can help ensure that more money stays in the country and supports the businesses that make this place unforgettable.”

Online travel agents (OTAs) and large booking platforms take between 10 and 40 percent in commissions and fees on each hotel reservation, activity booking, or water sports tour for businesses listed on their platforms. These fees bite into the income that independent businesses rely on for paying staff and suppliers, weathering the annual slow season (and hurricane season), improving their unique experiences, and investing back into the local community.

Booking direct helps keep tourism in the country more sustainable for the long term. Not only does it allow businesses to avoid paying these costly fees, but it also keeps more money circulating in the local economy and community. For tourists, it allows them to access preferred hotel rates and more flexible booking policies for tours and excursions, among other incentives.

Visit Turks and Caicos Islands promotes direct bookings on their platform through a variety of features, including their built-in property finder, which allows visitors to browse available resorts for their travel dates and book directly through the property's website instead of an OTA.

As the go-to website for Turks and Caicos travel, VisitTCI.com is uniquely positioned to bring awareness to the benefits of booking direct, helping create a more sustainable tourism industry in the Turks and Caicos.