MORE tours to the scenic Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan province have been cancelled in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake on Monday which has killed over 13,000 people.

ASA Holidays, CTC Holidays and SA Tours on Tuesday cancelled all their tours to the region for this month, while Chan Brothers will hold back such tours for the next 10 days.

Travel agents said their customers who are currently on holiday there are safe and sound.

SA Tours' marketing communications manager said she has two groups of 65 tourists currently in Jiuzai Tientang Hotel. They are stuck there because of a landslide affecting vehicular traffic out.

She said: 'They are safe in the hotel. They have food, running water, electricity. Only thing is they cannot go anywhere, so they are rather bored.'

The biggest task on the part on the travel agents' hands' now is to evacuate all their customers out, safely.

ASA Holidays' marketing communications manager Eileen Oh said she had 12 customers who flew back on Tuesday morning. Nine more are due back on Wednesday.

The rest are waiting for the next available flight out.

For those whose trips have been cancelled, the companies are trying to book them on a different tour, or get refunds.

SilkAir, which operates five weekly flights to Chengdu, resumed flights on Tuesday afternoon after the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport was reopened.

A SilkAir spokesman said it will offer all customers who hold tickets for imminent departures to Chengdu for May to defer their travelling plans up to December, or choose an alternative destination.