By mid-2003, airline load factors had slumped by 70 per cent, with some airlines forced to cut services by 40 per cent. China outbound arrivals to Singapore had declined by 90 per cent. The International Labour Organisation warned that five million more travel industry jobs were at risk globally, on top of the 6.5 million jobs lost between 2001 and 2002. The World Bank was predicting that Sars would slice one percentage point off economic growth rates in Asean countries if Sars was not contained.
One member of Asia's marketing communications community decided enough was enough and took the initiative.
Singapore-based PR firm Michael de Kretser Consultants (MDK) conceptualised a global programme called Project Phoenix to bring travellers back to Asia. PATA took one look at the proposal and swung into action.
Launched by PATA on June 6, 2003, Project Phoenix was a four-month global communications programme that spoke, for the first time, with a consistent single voice for the region's travel and tourism partners - 15 national tourism offices, airlines, hotels, and tour operators - which funded Phoenix in cash and kind.
Phoenix delivered the common key Pacific Asia travel messages, while dovetailing with a variety of individual national recovery promotions.
The campaign, managed by MDK, rolled out as travel advisories were lifted, giving the world the all-clear, all-clean signal.
The world's media giants, such as CNN, Time, Fortune, BBC World, National Geographic Channel and Newsweek threw their support behind the campaign.
Trade publications such as TTG Asia, Travel Weekly, TTR and STAT Times all pitched in. On the internet, 48 destination guides were up and running with content supplied by Lonely Planet.
Television and print campaigns were orchestrated alongside a publicity blitz in global consumer and trade media pumping out positive reports on regional recovery, post-Sars safety measures, regional destination features, and reports on travel deals.
Phoenix climaxed in October with PATA's Travel Mart, attended by 1,000 delegates.
Along the way, Project Phoenix introduced a new term into the PR lexicon.
As MDK's Ian Lancaster said, "This is all about reputation management."
PATA president and CEO Peter de Jong said Phoenix was "an ambitious but practical reputation management initiative ... It will serve as PATA's blueprint for risk and reputation management in Pacific Asia tourism - not just for Sars recovery, but for other crises which may affect our industry."
Stories like Phoenix give everyone in the marketing communication business cause to celebrate. Sometimes, we lose sight of how powerful our role can be in achieving positive social and economic change. All too often, our purpose in life is branded as purely 'commercial'. As an industry, we should not accept that. Phoenix proved that we were able to restore business and leisure travel in Asia's greatest hour of need. It also proved that nothing can beat great, old-fashioned, pro-active, entrepreneurial and visionary thinking.