Business View Caribbean | Jan 2019

47 makes good sense to have an airport there to facilitate that development. Grand Turk is our other airport. Grand Turk, itself, is the capital of Turks and Caicos and where the government seat is located, however, from an economic standpoint, Providenciales is the central point for Turks and Caicos because 80 percent of the GDP is developed from here. About 84 percent, if not more, of the GDP of Turks and Caicos is generated from tourism.We have very few exports. Tourism is our bread and butter. Therefore, the importance of the airports and aviation cannot be overstated.” BVC: What significant milestones has the Airport Authority achieved in the last few years? Smith: “The first significant milestone we achieved during the period I’ve been here (since 2007) is to develop the gateway airport of Providenciales International with a team of local individuals. To me that was very important. The entire executive team are local persons who have had the opportunity to be a part of, and make a significant contribution to, the airport’s development. From a financial point of view, we TCIAA Executive Team (L to R): Shenrika Robinson, HR Manager; Floyd Ingham, Airports Manager; Emmanuel Rigby, Air Traffic Services Manager; Lavern Reynolds, Terminal and Marketing Manager; Kenneth Abrams, Finance Controller; Helen Harvey, Security Manager and John Smith, CEO.