The year 2001 was a landmark year in the history of the global tourism industry. Unfortunately, it achieved that status for all the wrong reasons. The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, a worsening economic slowdown, internal restructuring across the sector and sudden decreases in international visitors turned 2001 into the first year of negative growth in the travel business for two decades.

According to the latest World Tourism Organization reports, international visitor numbers for 2001 slumped by around 1% to 692 million over the 12-month period. However, in the last quarter following September 11, they were down over 9%.

Almost all travel companies were effected in some way - airlines, a vast range of US and international destinations, hotels, care hire companies, conference and incentive organisers, retailers all the way down to local taxi drivers and porters.

That impact was also felt worldwide. The WTO concludes that in the last four months of the year - from September to December - arrivals were down around the world - in Africa (-1.4%); the Americas (-20%); East Asia/Pacific (-4%); Europe (-6.5%); the Middle East (-20%); and South Asia (-24%). Everywhere was touched by the crisis. "September, October and November of 2001 were a disaster for international travel," summed up WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli.

Though the media frenzy and initial predictions of a global travel industry collapse in the immediate wake of the September 11 attacks now seem overly exaggerated and excessive, the future still looks challenging for selected parts of the tourist industry.

One year later, the $584 billion travel business has hastily implemented recovery strategies that are now beginning to pay off and growth seems to be returning to many sectors and destinations.

The trouble is that it still remains highly fragile, is based on new market dynamics, and the bottom line is - it's simply not as profitable. Perhaps more importantly though, there really are some things that will never be the same again. Recent events in Bali, the prospect of further terrorist disruption around the world and fears of military conflict in Iraq also look set to continue to undermine even the best laid recovery plans in the year ahead.