Tourism is recognized as one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In Maldives, least developed country, tourism receipts amounted to 38.2 per cent of GDP, in 2005. The Asian region has shown remarkable dynamism in the tourism sector over the last decade, despite having faced several deterrents to tourist arrivals and spending. The SARS epidemic in 2003 impacted North-East and South-East Asia, where all countries posted a decline in tourist visits. The following year, the Asian tsunami significantly affected tourist destinations in India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In Sri Lanka, the percentage of foreign visitors’ expenditure as part of GDP also decreased due to the effects of the tsunami. However, the most affected country was Maldives, where tourism receipts fell from 51 per cent of GDP in 2000 to 38 per cent in 2005. Sri Lanka is making good progress in this industry. The tourism sectors in the countries affected by SARS and the tsunami have since recovered from these incidents. Citizens of middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific are contributing increasingly to tourism in the region.