|
 TM
Turks and Caicos Shipwreck Story
Hotel and Tourism Association
Wants to Increase Heritage Tourism
The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA)
in an unprecedented move, is supporting an archaeological expedition to
uncover a shipwreck story hidden for generations. The TCHTA hopes that the
story and archaeological work will raise awareness of the heritage and
culture of the Islands. TCHTA President and Managing Director of Royal West
Indies resort Gary Greenwood explains “heritage and cultural tourism is of
great importance to sustainable development. The Association and our members
are doing everything we can to assist the Turks and Caicos National Museum
to preserve and present the unique history of the Turks and Caicos Islands
and this wonderful story of shipwreck, survival and freedom.”
Director of the National Museum, Nigel Sadler comments
“The archaeological expedition to find missing slave ship Trouvadore is very
exciting. We have been amazed at how much interest the private sector,
hoteliers and the tourism industry have shown in the project. The Turks and
Caicos Tourism Board and the Hotel and Tourism Association have been very
supportive of our work. It is clear, thanks to global trends towards
heritage and ecotourism that museums and other heritage related
institutions can now look beyond the traditional grant-giving bodies for
financial support.”
Premium sponsor of the Trouvadore expedition the
Hartling Group – developers of the The Palms and the Sands at Grace Bay were
the first to make a commitment to support the project. Stan Hartling, CEO of
the Group described the sponsorship “as an excellent opportunity for new
developers to protect their foundations. The foundations of successful
resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands are not simply bricks and mortar.
The foundations of the destination, its history and culture are the most
important elements to protect to safeguard our communities and the unique
visitor experiences we can offer.”
Tom Lewis of Ocean Club Resorts – also a sponsor of the
Trouvadore expedition, hopes the results of the expedition and the archival
research will be the centerpiece for a new museum in Providenciales.
“Providenciales is the main tourism island in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Visitors come here and want to know more about our history. I hope this
story, the findings, the memories and the cultural legacy it left behind
will be exhibited right here in the not too distant future.”
About Trouvadore
Records found in the Americas, Bahamas, UK, Cuba and
Jamaica have confirmed the existence of Trouvadore. A ship that wrecked off
East Caicos in 1841. Its cargo of 193 Africans, captured to be sold into
slavery, miraculously survived the wrecking. As slavery had been abolished
in the British overseas territory at the time of the wrecking, all the
Africans were found and freed in the Islands. The crew were sent off to be
prosecuted for illegal slave trading and shooting one of the women survivors
on the beach as she tried to escape. The arrival of Trouvadore increased the
small population of the TCI by 7%. The Museum believes that such a sharp
increase now means that all Turks and Caicos Islanders are linked by blood
or marriage to this one incident.
Whilst the archival research already makes Trouvadore
the most well researched slave shipwreck in the region, archaeologists are
still keen to find the missing piece in the puzzle: the shipwreck. Dr D H
Keith of Texas-based Ships of Discovery believes the task will not be easy
“We will be trying to find a wooden hulled vessel, that would have
deteriorated significantly over the last century. However metal objects may
still be found. As we know that all the people on board survived the
incident, we can be pretty certain that Trouvadore wrecked in shallow waters
which makes us relatively optimistic.”
About Premium Sponsor - The Hartling Group & Partners
The Hartling Group consists of a group of companies
controlled by Canadian Property Developer, Stan Hartling who has
successfully pioneered nearly $150,000,000 worth of Developments in TCI
since 1997. The Hartling Group has formed an alliance with local
entrepreneur Mervin Cox (Coxco Construction) in developing the newest
project , The Palms. The team brings experience in every aspect of
development, from conception, design and construction, to development and
long-term management. Mervin Cox is the founder of Coxco Construction, a
firm that is renowned for high quality construction of grand scale projects.
Stan Hartling is the CEO and Developer of the highly successful resort
property, The Sands of Grace Bay. Owner satisfaction and the creation of a
strong management team are paramount on any project undertaken by Hartling.
Hartling Group’s latest development is The Palms, scheduled to open in
January 2005, The Palms is set to become one of the finest luxury resorts in
the TCI. For more information on Hartling Group developments visit
www.gopalms.com or
www.thesandsresort.com
About the Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands is a chain of more than 40
islands, only 8 are inhabited: Grand Turk, Providenciales, North Caicos,
Middle Caicos, South Caicos, Salt Cay, Pine Cay and Parrot Cay. The Islands
which have won awards for their beauty, pristine environment and elegant
hotels, enjoy excellent air service, with non-stop flights from New York,
Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, London and Toronto. For
information visit
www.turksandcaicostourism.com or call 1-800 241 0824.
Edited by Marilyn Miller
Back to
TravelLady Magazine |
|
