New markets, technology, additional partnerships and investments dominate Jamaica’s 2010 game plan for visitor arrivals, according to Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism.

Figures released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show that the number of international visitors to the Asia Pacific region grew by 2.2 percent in October 2009 compared to October 2008, improving the overall position for the year (10 months) to just 4 percent down when compared with the same period in 2008.

The Chinese government plans to turn Hainan island into a “top international tourism destination” by 2020. The country also plans to develop its only tropical island province into a platform for international economic cooperation and cultural exchanges, according to a statement from the State Council released on www.gov.cn, the official web portal of the Chinese government. The island will also become a base of agricultural production and a base for developing resources and services in the South China Sea.

Playa del Carmen’s beaches suffered significantly during the devastating Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Now they are being finally restored. Hurricane Wilma came with little warning, grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane, and then furiously pounded the shore for a couple of days and nights. When the hurricane retreated, the beach in the Riviera Maya region was completely devastated.

Hike Barbados is offering the natural beauty of Barbados by hiking through the very middle of its cane fields, gullies, tropical forests and coastal communities. Hikes are scheduled weekly and depart each Sunday morning and afternoon from different locations on the island, lasting three hours in duration.

After a frenzy of family activities over the holidays, peace and solitude is a dream for many people. Upscale travel website Jetsetter (jetsetter.com) has come up with a list of the world’s top 10 islands off the beaten track: