Business View Caribbean l March 2023

88 popular tourist destination. The tourism industry accounts for approximately 90% of the GDP, making its airports a strategic economic asset for the region. The Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority (TCIAA) is responsible for the management and operation of the country’s Providenciales International Airport (PLS), Grand Turk JAGS McCartney International Airport (GDT), North Caicos International, Salt Clay, and South Caicos International. Business View Magazine recently spoke to TCIAA’s newly appointed Chief Executive agency’s mandate in ensuring the islands’ airports continue to serve the country’s robust and growing tourism industry. Business View Magazine: Let’s start with an overview of the authority, its operating principles, and its history or origins. Godfrey Smith: The airport authority was established in 2006 with a mandate to operate, manage and develop airports for the Turks and Caicos Islands government and people. As an archipelago, the airports serve as a crucial social and economic link for the locals. The agency works to maintain and develop these facilities to make them as convenient and cost- effective as possible for the traveling public. As a country, we are highly dependent on tourism, so our airports, including our only international one, Providenciales, function as a gateway for visitors to experience the island’s beauty. Over the years the agency has evolved from a civil aviation department to an Airport Authority, building on the work of its three previous CEOs, Floyd Ingram, John From their efforts and those of others in the