Carnival Corp. Breaks Ground on Welcome Center in Grand Turk

Carnival Corp. Breaks Ground on Welcome Center in Grand Turk

Carnival Corp. has broken ground on a $3 million welcome center in downtown Grand Turk, which will feature a variety of retail establishments. Over a year in development, the project is being funded by Carnival Corp. & plc and is believed to be the largest single private investment in the downtown area.

Located at the southeast corner of Front and Market streets downtown, the Grand Turk Welcome Center will encompass a cluster of buildings totaling more than 23,000 square feet of air-conditioned space, including a restaurant/lounge, 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 architectural style with large picture windows framed by cantilevered wood shutters, ornate ironwork, covered walkways and entrances, a wrap-around 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 via the Grand Turk Cruise Center, also operated by Carnival Corp.

The $60 million facility, which opened in February 2006, encompasses a two-ship pier, a 14-acre complex with shops and restaurants, an 800-foot-long 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.

This year, the Grand Turk Cruise Center expects to host some 300 cruise ship calls from 16 cruise brands totaling nearly 640,000 passengers.