Glen Bromfield – a tourism giant

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The tourism sector has lost one of its stalwarts with the recent passing of Glen Bromfield, a pioneering figure in Jamaica’s tourism industry and a founding member of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA). He was the owner of Medallion Hall Hotel in St Andrew.

JUTA started business in 1974, registered as a limited liability company. Since then it has become the largest transportation company in the Caribbean, with an overall fleet of over 6,500 vehicles.

Bromfield has been lauded by members of the tourism sector as a visionary who played a key role in shaping the tourism landscape. This son of St Elizabeth started his working life as a taxi driver and followed his dream to success as a leader in the tourism industry.

Through JUTA he was instrumental in establishment of a professional and organised transportation sector, ensuring that both Jamaican travellers and international visitors experienced safe, reliable, and high-quality service. Bromfield was also instrumental in the founding of JUTA Tours. This company offers services which includes the coordination of meetings and incentive group programmes, staging of group special events, hotel/airport transfers, familiarisation trips, guided tours to attractions and places of interest, flight information and baggage handling. Over the years, the company has expanded significantly and now offers services to include coordinating incentive group programmes.

JUTA was named the newest partner of the Glen V. Bromfield/Jamaica Civil Service Association Education Trust Fund, which began in 2011 to assist the children of civil servants in secondary institutions and are in need of financial assistance.

Former Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association President James Samuels offered glowing commendations. “Glen Bromfield changed the face of transportation for the industry,” Samuels said. “Previously, industry leaders like Ferdie Martin of Martin’s Travel were catering to a certain level of tourists. He saw the need for broadening the service and acted decisively on his vision. He was a remarkable man. He brought into the industry new revenue streams , and negotiated duty-free access to bring in transportation for the industry. What is more, he didn’t just concern himself with transportation; he ventured into the hotel industry as well, and became a leader in the small hotel business. He had a significant impact at several levels of the industry both in terms of accommodation and transportation.”

BERL FRANCIS