According to Geoffrey Lipman, UNWTO Assistant Secretary-General, at any given time there are over two million travelers abroad and many more traveling within home countries. Although there is no present threat to tourism from Avian Flu, any transmission of the virus to humans would occur in this is the context.

Tourism officials from over 30 countries were asked to put themselves in the shoes of different stakeholders in the fictional country sending or receiving tourists involved in the crisis. Playing the part of government officials, private sector operators, the media or the consumer, they had to make time-sensitive decisions on how to deal with the outbreak in all its immediate and possible ramifications. They were assisted in this challenging task by experts from the World Health Organisation, government ministries and private companies with hands-on experience in crisis management.

By sharing experience and expertise participants were able to understand Stakeholders' different and often conflicting perspectives. The exercise underscored the need for coordination within countries and across borders in the event of an outbreak of a new influenza type among humans. Good planning, clear procedures and efficient lines of communication were obviously vital. But a key lesson to be learnt was that ultimately, even with the best of planning, in a crisis individuals often find themselves forced to rely solely on their own resources. Improvisation is then the ultimate resource.