Educated at Hampton High School in Jamaica, she graduated from St. Godricks Hotel Management and Hospitality School in London, gaining experience by working in all departments of the Washington Hotel in London.
Returning to Jamaica in 1964 she joined the Runaway Bay Hotel, before entering Villa Management and then on to her Home turf in Mandeville. Promoting the area became her holy grail, and she arduously worked to promote Mandeville initially before expanding to Clarendon, St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland. Recognizing that these areas were not “stand alone” and could be better served as a package, she lobbied the Ministry of Tourism and the JTB to promote the areas as the “South Coast” with a Tag Line “Off the beaten track”. This was accepted as the Marketing tool, and she put together packages which welcomed travel writers and visitors to the area.
She successfully lobbied the Ministry of Tourism to establish an office of the JTB in Black River. She later lobbied for an office for TPDCO there too.
In 1987 she became the GM of the Appleton Estate Rum Tour, where she developed every aspect of the tour, including the rail section from Montego Bay – She initiated train stops in the communities of Ipswich where she developed a Cave Tour with the proceeds going to the Community, and arranged training programmes for the community of Catadupa. Here she arranged training programmes in learning sewing skills and secured sewing machines and Calico so that shirts and dresses could be made and sold to the passengers on the Train.
After 25 years of establishing such a successful tour, she turned her attention to Tours by Trolley and developed and managed a Heritage tour by Trolley through the Town. Establishing her own company, Braemar Tours Ltd. She successfully drew up the tour concept, script,
Tour routes and training of staff. The Tour by Trolley continues to be a very successful tour. Braemar Tours then expanded into Ocho Rios with a Trolley Tour.
Judy’s passion is tourism, and that passion runs the gamut across various segments of the industry. For her, tourism is an ever-changing spectrum which keeps her blood pumping and considers the greatest challenge in the industry is to keep people happy.
Judy is a Justice of the Peace and is currently Director of JCCL – Jamaica Cruise Council Ltd; a Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). Over the decades she has held a variety of positions with different agencies in the industry including Area Chairman of the JHTA (26) years, Vice President of the JHTA representing the Allied Sector (8) years, Vice President of AJAL (Association of Jamaica Attractions) (20) years and served as a Director of TPDCO (Tourism Product Development Company for (4) years, to name a few.
