China International Travel Mart (CITM), one of the major expositions highlighting the nation's tourism industry, will open on November 19 in Kunming, the capital city of southwest China's Yunnan province.

Tourism delegations from countries around the world will showcase their travel products at CITM in a drive to attract the burgeoning Chinese tourism market.

Mr. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's minister of tourism will lead his team members including the Director of the Jamaica Tourism Board, John Lynch and Deputy Director David Shields.

In an exclusive interview arranged by World Travel Online with CRI reporters in Beijing on Tuesday, Mr. Bartlett revealed that Jamaica's new move for its tourism markets in China will involve Usain Bolt, the world-famous athletics star.

"The Tourism Board and Bolt will be involved in a series of promotions and we will begin in early 2010. Because of the value of Bolt in China's market, in fact, he has become the latest of the icons of Jamaica here, it may very well be that images of him will be utilized in these areas," the minister said.

Tourism and investment will be the two major themes for Jamaica at the upcoming 2010 Shanghai Expo, he added.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Jamaica each year is the fifth largest among all the Chinese visitors to the West, according to the tourism board.

Among all the initiatives the Jamaican tourism board has introduced to boost its tourism market in China, the Familiarization Trip 2009 is the most prominent one.

On the invitation of the tourism board, a group of representatives from China's travel agents and media went to Jamaica in February this year.

"The trip provided an opportunity for a number of potential partners here in China to have first- hand knowledge of the product, to visit some of the attractions, stay at the hotels and more importantly to encourage Jamaican people to experience the culture, to enjoy Jamaican cuisine and definitely to experience the quality service that Jamaica offers," Mr. Bartlett explained.

On its Chinese website, Visitjamaicca.cn, the Tourism Board provides travel guidance on different themed tours, among which, the honeymoon tour has always been the hottest choice.

"Jamaica has a fine setting that makes you feel you are in the Garden of Eden, it's God's little gift to you when you are getting married," the minister illustrated.