The Department of Tourism spent $75,000 sponsoring the World Tourism Summit in China.

The three-day event was held in Beijing and was attended by hundreds of travel and tourism industry leaders from 24 nations around the world.

Premier Ewart Brown said the aim of the trip was to lay the foundation for an eventual relationship with China which would lead to more Chinese tourists visiting the Island.

Glenn Jones, Press Secretary to the Premier, said: "The Bermuda Department of Tourism was offered the rare opportunity to be a sponsorship partner of the World Tourism Summit and in light of the organisers' solid relations with the Chinese Government generally, and the Beijing Tourism Administration in particular, the sponsorship package at a cost of $75,000 was seen as a sound investment."

The sponsorship package included: hotel accommodations for the Bermuda delegation; ground transportation; waiver of summit registration fees; services of an interpreter; breakfast, lunch and dinner each day of the summit; space at the host site to stage a Feel the Love information booth; double page ad space in the summit programme book; display banners at the summit venue; executive meeting space and media opportunities with Chinese press and BBC World.

It was not clear if this included the cost of flights for the Premier's party. It also included billing throughout the event as a Global Partner of the World Tourism Summit and co-host billing for a gala dinner for 200 people.

Mr. Jones said: "Face-to-face, in-person contact is highly valued. And Bermuda Tourism's investment in an event that had the support of Chinese decision makers is viewed as evidence of our genuine commitment to seek approved destination status for Bermuda and to welcoming Chinese guests to our shores."

Approved destination status means that Chinese package tour operators will be allowed to sell tours to Bermuda.

According to the official website for the World Tourism Marketing Summit the number of Chinese tourists travelling to foreign shores will swell to more than 100 million by 2020.

While at the conference Premier Ewart Brown met the Tourism Minister from Tanzania, who officially bid to host the 2009 African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference. Mr. Jones said this was a "welcomed no-cost bonus" for the Bermuda Department of Tourism which is the worldwide ADHT leader.

He added: "The travel to Beijing, China was a first for Bermuda, part of a multi-year plan to lure Chinese leisure travellers. The plan, created by Premier Brown, was a visionary approach to make inroads in China now so that Bermuda can later rely on the Chinese market to fill the increased hotel inventory soon to emerge on the Island."

During the three-day conference, Dr. Brown received the Tourism Leadership Award from the organising committee, which he later turned over to the staff of the Department of Tourism. (Story: Page 9)