The Turks and Caicos islands topped the 1 million-passenger mark in 2018. The extraordinary achievement was cause for celebration but also shown light on areas needing improvement, said tourism officials.

The Ministry of Tourism is developing regulations to manage unregulated beach vendors taking advantage of the increased cruise passenger arrivals, including creating a designated beach-vender zone.

The idea is to create opportunities for small- and medium-size business that benefit both the tourism product and the local economy.

Efforts are underway to open a downtown welcome center with shops and restaurants. A new welcome booth at the cruise port will be built this year. Work away from the cruise port underway includes redevelopment of Governor’s Beach, a creation of a donkey sanctuary and other inland activities and beautification projects.

Plans are underway for pier expansions that would accommodate Carnival’s new Mardi Gras.