Click for related special: Massive earthquake hits Asia

Travel agencies have had mixed reactions in the aftermath of the tsunamis that killed more than 22,000 people in several South Asian countries.

The Shenzhen Municipal Tourism Bureau issued a document Monday to travel agencies warning them of the danger of sending package tours to South and Southeast Asian countries in the wake of the severe earthquakes and the tsunamis they caused in the Indian Ocean.

Ms. Li of Shenzhen Port China Travel Service said the head of the agency had decided to halt tours to South and Southeast Asian countries.

"Our boss said the prospect was not clear. There were reports that earthquakes could hit again," she said.

Zeng Yan, vice manager of Asia-Pacific tours for the agency, said the suspension would last until Jan. 8.

"But tours to Phuket, Thailand, will be postponed indefinitely," she said.

Phuket and other islands and towns in southern Thailand were devastated by the tsunamis Sunday.

According to Zeng, the temporarily suspended destinations included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The agency would resume tours to Bangkok, Pattaya and other destinations from Jan. 8, excluding Sri Lanka, Maldives, India and Indonesia. She was not clear when tours to these destinations would be resumed.

Mr. Zeng of OCT China Travel Service said his agency was organizing tours to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia as usual. "We sent out a group of 20 people to Thailand this morning," he said.

But Zeng also said his agency had temporarily stopped organizing tours to Phuket in Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia.

"These places are around the Indian Ocean, so they are affected. Destinations around the Pacific Ocean are no problem," he said.

Miao Huijuan, of Shenzhen Press International Tour Agency, said her agency had also suspended tours to South and Southeast Asian countries. "But we can still help individual travelers (to these destinations) to apply for visas and buy airfares," she said.

Yi Nengquan, vice director general of the Shenzhen Municipal Tourism Bureau, said the document from the bureau did not mean an order to ban tours to the tsunami-affected countries.

"We suggested temporary suspension of the tours," he said.

According to a report in the Shenzhen Evening News, up to Monday morning, more than 250 people from Shenzhen were still in Thailand and some other Southeast Asian countries. The report said they were all safe.

Editor: Catherine