OPINION: In praise of good, old-fashioned visionary thinking

It was around this time last year that a certain four-letter word entered everyday conversation: Sars. As the weeks rolled by, Asia's travel industry stared oblivion in the face. As the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) put it, "the impact of Sars on our region has been greater than 9/11, the Bali bombs and the war in Iraq".