Asia’s tourism industry is still suffering the aftershocks of the SARS crisis, but business is starting to pick up and should recover by the end of the year, the head of the World Tourism Organisation predicted today.

The international tourism industry shrank 2.6% last year because the September 11 attacks 'severely aggravated' the effects of the global economic slow down, the World Tourism Organisation said today.

The United States has lost its status as the world's second most popular tourist destination.