Worst hit areas off-limits for several months

The areas worst affected by the tsunami are unlikely to be able to welcome tourists back for several months. Most tour operators have cancelled trips to coastal areas of Sri Lanka and Thailand until the end of January, but privately expect the deadline to be pushed back further as the massive clean up and aid operation continues. Spokespeople for Thomson and Kuoni said they were continually monitoring the situation, but would not be able to send tourists back to affected areas until they were completely satisfied that it was safe to do so. David Hopps, director of Sri Lanka specialist Red Dot Tours, which is continuing to send people to areas unaffected by the tsunami said: “With places like Galle, we can’t sell it until we’ve been there and checked it for ourselves. “Hoteliers desperately want people to carry on travelling and some are saying they are open, but really, they are just being used to help with the aid effort. “The aid workers in Galle are telling us it will be several months before holidaymakers can go there.” Separately, packages to Bali in Indonesia have gone back on sale after the Foreign Office lifted its warning against non-essential travel to the area. The warning had been in place over the Christmas period because of a heightened threat of terrorism. A spokeswoman for Kuoni said: “Bali was a big seller for us before Christmas and we expect it to continue being popular.”