Roy Miller, the man behind tourism’s numbers, made excellence his trademark

Roy Miller, a stalwart of Jamaica’s tourism industry, was on Sunday eulogised as a man of uncompromising excellence and quiet dignity who possessed a generous heart as well…

Roy Miller, a stalwart of Jamaica’s tourism industry, was on Sunday eulogised as a man of uncompromising excellence and quiet dignity who possessed a generous heart as well as a mischievous, infectious sense of humour.

Reflections of the man, who the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) said “established himself as a trusted authority in tourism intelligence” through “exceptional expertise in statistics and research”, were shared by former Deputy Director of Tourism Trevor Riley at a thanksgiving service for his life at Bethel Baptist Church in St Andrew. Miller, who gave more than 40 years’ service to the JTB, passed on October 6, 2026 after a short battle with cancer. He was 83.

Riley described Miller as “the engine room behind the scenes, heading research and planning” for the tourism industry which is “usually associated with glitz, glamour, and sun-drenched beaches”. He highlighted former Director of Tourism Ambassador Fay Pickersgill’s recollection of meeting Miller in February 1980 when she headed the Planning, Research, and Statistics Department. “That first encounter convinced me that this was a gentleman who would be a perfect fit.

It was evident that his academic achievements were unquestionable, and these, together with his seemingly calm disposition, led to what turned out to be a great professional and personal relationship for the rest of his life,” Riley quoted Pickersgill.

She also stated that Miller led a department which produced data in a manner that earned the respect not only of the country’s ministries and agencies, but also of all the international agencies reviewing Jamaica’s economic performance, including the International Monetary Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, and Caribbean Development Bank. “There was never any question about the accuracy or methodology... data was accepted because professionalism and competence were his hallmark,” Riley further quoted Pickersgill.