Turks and Caicos Islands: International tourism, number of arrivals

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Turks and Caicos Islands' international tourism, number of arrivals fell 76.8% on 2019 (from 1.6 million to 370,400).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +7.4% and a typical year strayed about 9.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 8.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 24.4% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 76.8% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Turks and Caicos Islands had the 93rd highest value of the 130 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Turks and Caicos Islands in the 2020 ranking

• St. Lucia — 89th of 130: 432,500
• Antigua and Barbuda — 90th of 130: 384,500
• Armenia — 91st of 130: 375,000
• Montenegro — 93rd of 130: 351,000
• Eswatini — 94th of 130: 345,300
• Guam — 95th of 130: 328,000

What this measures

International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.

Limitations: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival. The data on inbound tourism show the arrivals of nonresident tourists (overnight visitors) at national borders.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 13 values

International tourism, number of arrivals in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 384,500 (2020)
• Argentina — 7.4 million (2019)
• Aruba — 1.95 million (2019)
• Bahamas, The — 1.79 million (2020)
• Barbados — 966,000 (2019)
• Belize — 487,000 (2020)
• Bolivia — 323,300 (2020)
• Brazil — 6.35 million (2019)
• British Virgin Islands — 83,000 (2020)
• Cayman Islands — 660,000 (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Turks and Caicos Islands

• Import unit value index (2015 = 100) — 132.7 (2025)
• Export unit value index (2015 = 100) — 116.3 (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$485 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$5 million (2025)
• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 26.24% (2024)

Every indicator for Turks and Caicos Islands is on the Turks and Caicos Islands data page.

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Turks and Caicos Islands's international tourism, number of arrivals?

370,400 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is down 51.07% from 757,000 in 2008 (5.78% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.6 million in 2019 and the lowest 370,400 in 2020.

How does Turks and Caicos Islands rank?

93rd highest of 130 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, number of arrivals unusual for Turks and Caicos Islands?

In 2020, Turks and Caicos Islands' international tourism, number of arrivals fell 76.8% on 2019 (from 1.6 million to 370,400). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +7.4% and a typical year strayed about 9.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 8.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.ARVL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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