Hong Kong - Around 150 tours to Bangkok from Hong Kong involving 3,000 holidaymakers have been cancelled because of the unrest in the Thai capital, tour operators said Wednesday. Travel companies in the wealthy city of 7 million have scrapped all tours to Bangkok until April 22 because of what they described as the "unclear" situation following violent demonstrations.

The decision came after the Hong Kong government issued an unusually stern travel advisory Tuesday, telling its residents to avoid Bangkok.

Hong Kong's main airline Cathay Pacific put bigger jumbo jets on flights from Bangkok Tuesday to allow everyone who wanted to get out of the Thai capital early to do so.

Airlines in Hong Kong have been offering no-penalty options to cancel flights to Bangkok while tour operators have been refunding package holidays costs minus a service fee of between 20 and 40 US dollars.

Bangkok, less than three hours' flight from Hong Kong, is a hugely popular holiday destination for people from the former British colony. Around 8,000 Hong Kongers took Easter holiday flights there. (dpa)