De Jong said that a survey of Asian airlines predicted air travel for the region will not return to pre-SARS levels until September, and warned that even when visitor arrivals return to normal, profits may not. He said this was owing to the steep discounts being offered to keep tourism industries in business.
World Tourism Organization secretary-general Francesco Friangelli remained optimistic, noting that "in the history of world tourism, we have never had a depression or a lasting recession."
"Recovery remains a certainty," he told the Manila meeting. "Based on our observations of past crises, the SARS epidemic will only delay recovery but maybe not by more than a few months."
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