Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett expects the Usain Bolt and Bob Marley brands to boost 2010 tourist stopover arrivals by six per cent over last year.

“Together we have put together those two Bs (Bob Marley and Bolt) at work for Jamaica’s tourism. The combination of One Love and the Fastest Man on Earth will empower Jamaica to great prominence,” Bartlett said at the launch of the Berhane Selassie Art Gallery on Wednesday. “This year we are anticipating two million (stopover) arrivals and growth of six percent.”

The gallery located at the Marley-owned Tuff Gong recording studio in Kingston, has been integrated into the Making Music Tour, a half-hour journey through the Tuff Gong facilities, allowing visitors to witness the process of music creation. The addition of the gallery currently showcasing artists Laura-Ann Fung, Djamila Lingier-Strauss and Tennyson ‘Jimmy’ Smith, is expected to augment the Marley brand for visitors.

Government launched the Bolt advertising campaign last month did not disclose growth prospects for 2010. Bartlett did, however, estimate that 2009 had a record 1.83 million arrivals (stopover) to Jamaica, earning US$1.97 billion or one per cent less than the previous year.

The increased arrivals for Jamaica occurred within the context of declines in many rival markets, Bartlett explained.

“How does a destination that has a reputation of being unsafe continue to grow every year and grow even when the rest of the world has not?” he asked on Wednesday. “My answer to them all is the ironic thing of Jamaica is that our people (who are said to be) violent are the very same people who are the best attraction.”

The Bolt television commercials will begin airing throughout the United States, Canada and Europe tomorrow. The commercials cost US$420,000 and were produced by international director, Jorn Haagen. Bolt, however, waived a US$1 million appearance fee.

“I want to give credit to Usain Bolt and his team because an ad like this would cost us somewhere close to US$1.5 million. So I think the effect of it is a saving to Jamaica, is a little over $1 million,” Bartlett told the Observer last month.