The riots in Urumqi that broke out on Sunday have begun to hurt the local tourism industry, with many travelers and tour agencies shunning visits to the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and its surroundings.

"An increasing number of tourists have canceled their Xinjiang-bound tours for safety reasons," Zhang Linjie, deputy manager of the domestic department with the China International Travel Service head office, said yesterday.

Members of the major travel agency's sole tour group in Xinjiang also cut short their trip and returned home safely on Tuesday, he said.