Since its opening in February 2006, the $60 million Grand Turk Cruise Center has served as a gateway to the island, encompassing a two-ship pier, a 14-acre complex offering a variety of shops and restaurants, an 800-foot-long private beach, private cabanas, and a FlowRider simulated surfing attraction. In January, the center unveiled Splashdown: Grand Turk, a 3,500-square-foot attraction commemorating the 1962 splashdown of the NASA’s Friendship 7 Mercury space capsule off the island’s coast.The Grand Turk Cruise Center is so inviting that many passengers treat it almost as a “Private Island” and fail to leave the area during their port call. That really is a shame because Grand Turk is an enjoyable and unspoiled slice of the Caribbean. However, soon there will be another reason to head out and explore. A groundbreaking ceremony was held late last week for a new $3 million Grand Turk Welcome Center featuring a variety of retail establishments within the island’s historic downtown.
Over a year in development, the project is being funded by Carnival Corporation and is believed to be the largest single private investment in the downtown area. Located at the southeast corner of Front Street and Market Street in downtown Grand Turk, the new Welcome Center (pictured in the aerial rendering above) will encompass a cluster of buildings totaling more than 23,000 square feet of air-conditioned space, including a restaurant/lounge, various shopping outlets, and a tourist information office. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Buildings will include design elements patterned after the island’s distinctive architectural style with large picture windows framed by cantilevered wood shutters, ornate ironwork, covered walkways and entrances, a wraparound balcony, and a courtyard that joins the two structures. A large reproduction of a cactus–a signature feature closely associated with Grand Turk–rests atop a red triangular roof of one of the buildings.
Designed by Providenciales-based Projectech Construction Management Services, Ltd., the Welcome Center is expected to be a popular spot with locals and cruise ship guests arriving on the island via the Grand Turk Cruise Center, which is operated by Carnival Corp. This year, the Grand Turk Cruise Center expects to host some 300 cruise ship calls from 16 different cruise brands totaling nearly 640,000 passengers.
Image Courtesy Carnival Cruise Lines
2 comments:
Anything to make a buck.
Grand Turk used to have a small Navy base popular with members who love being on, in or under the water. Those who didn't were ready to leave.
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