Chinese tourism authorities have ordered travel companies not to apply for permits for people wishing to travel to Tibet, and many foreigners have been diverted elsewhere or had their payments refunded, travel agents told AFP.

"The Tibet Travel Bureau said that because of the incidents in Lhasa, they do not want to issue permits for travel into Tibet," said the manager of one company in Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province, which borders Tibet.

"Some people who had already booked tours with us and been issued permits have not been able to go, and I think it will be impossible for independent travellers for some time," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Tibet has been sealed to outsiders since the weekend, following violent protests in the capital, Lhasa, by Tibetans against Chinese rule that have since spilled over to other provinces in China.

Authorities in Lhasa have forced most foreigners, including tourists, aid workers and people working in the tourism sector, to leave.

The Tourism Administration of Tibet confirmed the issuing of permits had been suspended, and they would likely not begin until May at the earliest.

"We don't know when we'll restart issuing the permits, it depends on the situation, perhaps after April," a male official with the administration in Lhasa told AFP.

"The reason is the riot in Lhasa... we made the decision for the safety of the tourists."

The travel ban is likely to deal a financial blow to China's tourism sector as Tibet has become a pivotal drawcard for travellers alongside the Great Wall, famed Terracotta Warriors and historic sites in Beijing such as the Palace Museum.

The official Xinhua news agency has reported massive increases in the number of tourists, both foreign and domestic, to Tibet since the opening of a controversial railway across the Tibetan Plateau in mid-2006.

More than four million tourists visited last year, up 64 percent from the year earlier, according to official figures.

Revenue from tourism contributed more than 14 percent of the region's gross domestic product in 2007, and at 668 million dollars was up a year-on-year 75.1 percent, the figures show.

The head of the regional tourism administration, Wang Songping, predicted confidently early this year that visitors to Tibet would hit five million in 2008, with revenues soaring by 24 percent.

But the crackdown in the Tibet Autonomous Region -- and Tibetan areas that have fallen in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan since the borders were redrawn after China's invasion in 1950 -- is likely to see many potential visitors change their plans.

One travel agent in Xining, capital of Qinghai province and a popular jumping-off point for Tibet travel, said he had "no business" and believed travel to the region would be banned for "40 to 60 days."

"I think this will last until May," he said, asking not to be named. "Right now, the tourism bureau isn't letting us get permits for foreigners, and we have already refunded people or sent them somewhere else."

A US tour operator in Chengdu said most people in China's travel industry worked on commission, rather than salary, so hotels, restaurants and other tourism-dependent businesses in Tibet were facing lean times during what should be their peak season.

He said some clients planning to travel to the fringes of Tibet in Sichuan and Yunnan "are concerned about their safety and about restrictions not being imposed while they are there."

China's foreign ministry Thursday warned foreign tourists against going to areas close to Tibet that have been hit by recent unrest.

"To ensure the security and safety of foreign tourists, we suggest they do not go to these places at present," said Qin Gang, the ministry's spokesman, when asked if foreign tourists should avoid Sichuan and Gansu.

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