Tourism stalwart starts own business
Published:Monday | September 22, 2025 | 12:06 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
Armed with nearly four decades of exceptional service in the tourist industry, Tourism Excellence Award winner, Paul Norman, has taken the bold and sensible step to start his own business in Jamaica’s leading foreign-exchange-earning sector.
After working in the industry for many years, starting at Tropical Tours in 1987, then later at Tourwise, Sandals Resort, Chukka Cove, and Dolphin Cove, the affable pastor of the Kingdom Lighthouse Apostolic Ministries International in Roadside district, St Ann, officially launched Judah Jamaica Travel Service Limited in July of this year.
Norman said he spent up to 10 years at one of these companies. Now, just a couple of months on, Norman, who is also a justice of the peace, is reporting a bright start to his business with a lot of promotional support from family and friends, and even strangers, probably a signal of the great success that lies ahead.
“It’s my time to shine,” he said confidently during a Gleaner interview. There was no procrastination. Finalising the concept in June, Judah Jamaica Travel Service was up and running by July, offering some of the best hotel deals in Jamaica.
“We offer the finer of the inclusive resorts because we think that when persons pay to go to a resort they must enjoy the experience,” Norman said. “So, we sell resorts that people won’t call us afterwards and complain that it wasn’t good and all that. That’s why we choose the finer ones such as Iberostar, the Riu Hotels, Ocean Coral Spring, the Palladium. We also offer luxury villas because there are clients who just want high-end villas. We also have a beach location in Falmouth.”
It’s a competitive field, but the forecast for the industry is positive. Worldwide, tourism is expected to see significant economic expansion over the next decade, expanding annually by just over five per cent to reach US$17.46 trillion in revenue by 2035. This resurgence in leisure travel is predicted to see tourism outperform the global economy.
Regionally and locally, tourism will see comparative growth. For 2025, overnight arrivals is expected to increase between two and five per cent and cruise arrivals between five and seven per cent, in the Caribbean.
Jamaica, in the meantime, continues to see growth in the sector which is targeting 4.5 million visitors this year, and US$4.62 billion in earnings.
Norman is positioning Judah Jamaica to be part of this worldwide growth, and looks forward to employing a talented team to help drive this effort.
PROMOTION FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Already, he’s getting a huge hand where promotion is concerned as family and friends have taken it upon themselves to promote the company on social media, making and posting several videos about its services.
“The support I’m getting, it’s like persons are really enthused that I’ve got my own thing and everybody is willing to jump onboard to see how they can help. Just getting all that support is very encouraging and persons have been giving their relatives my contact number and persons have been booking,” Norman revealed.
These include individuals and major Jamaican companies. However, his most dependable source of support comes from his wife, Sheila.
After 38 years at various positions in the tourism industry, being the boss, finally, must be a great feeling. It is, he confirmed.
“At first I was very anxious but I’m getting over the anxious segment and gathering momentum to go forward and what I’m looking forward to, most of all, is to help the youths who are zealous to work in the tourist industry become part of the team.”
Such a team, led by Pastor Paul Norman, would be a special team that knows how to succeed.
Norman’s father and mother were pastors, he related, and he grew up asthmatic. It was not until he was baptised by his father at age 16 that the disease went away. Come December, he will mark five years being a pastor.
During his time working in the tourism sector, his efforts were recognised with the awarding of several honours.
These include the badge of honour for meritorious service from the Government of Jamaica, in 2020; the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Tourism Employee of the Year award in 2019; the Tourism Excellence Award from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) in 2019-2020, along with several other national and community awards and special acknowledgements.
If you are a young person seeking to work in the tourism sector or elsewhere, Norman has some words of advice to share.
“I just want persons to know that with each job that they are employed to, they must see it as an opportunity to garner experience, whether it’s a job they like or not they must just see it as gaining experience. Every job that persons are employed to they must give their best because when you decide to do your own thing, you would have already made a hallmark of excellence!”