The secretary general of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), which hosted the task force discussions attended by 30 countries and a slew of international agencies, called for rapid assistance to tsunami-affected countries.

Francesco Frangialli said that while the industry had responded to repeated blows since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, last month's tsunamis which left more than 283,000 dead, were in another league.

"It's an event of exceptional magnitude. In fact in the history of world tourism, it's the most important disaster that we've ever had, if we take into consideration the number of victims among tourists and people working in the industry," Frangialli said.

"But on the other hand, this takes place in the context of rapid growth in the sector," he said, reflecting a widely held view that tourism would quickly bounce back from the tragedy.

The WTO said in its winter barometer report unveiled at the talks that the tsunami's impact "is expected to be limited in time and only in terms of traffic to some specific areas of these destinations".

It said the tsunami came as tourism was booming in the region in 2004, with arrivals growing by 23 percent in Thailand, 18 percent in India, 13 percent in Sri Lanka and nine percent in the Maldives.

Tourism is a vital industry in most of the countries hardest hit by the disaster, but particularly in Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

Harsh Varma, the WTO's chief of technical cooperation, said the meeting needed to draft "practical, efficient and time-bound specific actions and outputs for affected destinations".

"This is not an ordinary crisis and this is not an ordinary meeting. The livelihoods of thousands of people depend on this industry. In fact, it is their future that is at stake here," he said.

"Therefore our action plan must not be limited to short-term activity... It must be sharp, focused and cover a range of strategies."

The WTO's executive council will on Tuesday, the second and final day of the talks, consider the plan drafted by the task force in its first ever emergency meeting. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will address the council.

Ministers from tsunami-hit countries meanwhile urged tourists to return amid complaints that holidaymakers had misconceptions about the damage, in part due to government advisories warning against travel to affected areas.

"The Maldives is still the paradise of the Indian Ocean. Please visit us -- that is the best way to contribute to the revival of our economy and our efforts at reconstruction," Maldives Tourism Minister Mustafa Lutfi told AFP.

Thamrin Bachri, Indonesia's deputy minister for capacity building and international relations, said it was business as usual in Indonesia.

"If we are talking about the impact of the tsunami, Indonesia has suffered a very big impact, but in terms of tourism, Aceh only receives 0.05 percent from national arrivals," he told AFP, referring to the worst-hit province.

He said that government travel advisories had skewed perceptions of the damage, urging that they be kept "proportional".

Thailand requested that the meeting be held on the palm-fringed island of Phuket, which suffered damage to some beaches, to highlight that most resorts remain operational here, although occupancy rates have plunged.

Thailand suffered the highest number of deaths of foreigners among affected countries, with 1,948 believed to be among the 5,393 confirmed killed in the kingdom.

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