Construction of a $300-million airport terminal is set to begin by the end of this year, Premier Hon. Washington Misick told the American Association of Travel Advisors (ASTA) Board of Directors Annual Meeting at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa, Sunday, February 5.
Over the past few years, the Turks and Caicos Islands tourist arrival has ballooned to the point that on a weekend especially, massive queues have been created not only on the ground locally, but also in the air, because the terminal has outgrown its capacity. This forced aircraft to either circle in the air until a space has been created or land for a few hours in neighboring Dominican Republic.
Over the festive season, it has been reported that many private jets were forced to land in the Dominican Republic after disembarking their guests.
Currently, a multimillion-dollar canopy is being erected at the Providenciales International Airport to make life easier for guests who, after coming off their flights, had to wait in a long queue before reaching the immigration counter.
Addressing some of the existing challenges, the Premier highlighted that his government was committed to the rapid improvement of user arrival and departure experience at the airport, making the announcement that vast improvements were in the works to make the airport more accommodating.
“I am pleased to say that we are making progress towards investing 300 plus million dollars in the construction of a new air terminal here in Providenciales,” Premier Misick said.
The Premier Misick emphasised the value and impact of tourism to these islands and highlighted his government’s commitment to destination management going forward. He said government was working towards making the Turks and Caicos Islands the most tourist-friendly destination in the entire Caribbean.
“Our aspiration is to create the most visitor centric destination in the world – one that is exquisite, inclusive and sustainable delivering the highest customer satisfaction,” Misick assured the travel advisors.
Joining the Premier at the event were, First Lady Delthia Misick , as well as the Minister with responsibility for Tourism, Hon. Josephine Connolly. Connolly addressed the morning session of the meeting.
Zane Kirby, President and CEO of ASTA, was also in attendance at the event, along with travel representatives from all 50 United States of America.
The American Association of Travel Advisors is the leading Global Advocate for Travel Advisors in the USA, the Travel Industry and the Traveling Public.
ASTA’s mission is to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism.
ASTA and its affiliates represent 17,000 USA based Travel Agencies, 160,000 Travel Advisors and 250 International Member Companies.
The ASTA Chapter Presidents, Board Members and Senior Staff Annual Meeting took place at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa from February 3 – 9.