Bermuda will once again be featured on an international stage when Premier Ewart Brown and a Bermuda delegation arrives in Beijing, China, today for the second World Tourism Summit.

Dr. Brown, also Minister of Tourism and Transport, left the Island yesterday and will be the key note speaker at the summit on Monday.

He is expected to exchange a range of ideas with some of the most innovative thinkers in the tourism arena, his press secretary, Glenn Jones said.

Dr. Brown is scheduled to meet a variety of well known authorities in tourism and transport, including the Chief Executive of hotel chain Corinthia Hotels International, Tony Potter.

Corinthia Hotels International is a luxury chain of hotels based in Malta with 30 guest properties in major cities around the world which include the Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey.

The company is currently owned and managed by the Corinthia Group of Companies.

Additionally, Dr. Brown will meet with Jordan's Ambassador for Tourism Promotion, Sen. Akel Biltaji and the Chairman of Israel's El Al Airlines, Izrael Borovich.

The Kingdom of Jordan, located in the Middle East, believes, according to its Tourism Ministry, the global tourism market will triple its size by 2020, with local economies benefiting from this rise substantially through employment and other opportunities.

Dr. Brown said: "We are very serious about taking the 'feel the love' message around the world. There's no doubt in my mind that the Bermuda tourism product can compete on a global scale. So as we get into the game at this level it's crucial that we dialogue with some of the biggest players in global tourism."

And the Premier is not stopping there. He is also scheduled to engage in talks with officials from the Beijing Olympic Committee and the Beijing Travel Administration.

With high level Chinese officials, Dr. Brown plans to discuss strategies for appealing to Chinese tourists.

"Bermuda may seem like a long way to travel for the Chinese," he stated, "However, when you take into account the huge number of Chinese business people doing business in New York, Bermuda is literally less than two hours away."