Antananarivo, Madagascar - Tourism industry officials in Madagascar are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of politcally motivated violence that has kept the island's capital Antananarivo in its grasp, media reports said Thursday.

"Reservations until and including March have been cancelled almost completely. Several thousands of jobs in hotels, restaurants and with travel offices are in danger," said Joel Randriamandranto of Madagascar's national tourism office.

While no tourist has been injured in the political violence and looting, frightening news reports from the spice island located off the eastern African coast has scared off tourists, he said.

At Nosy Be, a smaller island north-west of Madagascar and a tourism hotspot, about 95 per cent of all hotels were closed at the moment.

"If this crisis is not over as soon as possible, the financial ruin of the tourism sector is a given," he said, adding that the tourism office would try to reassure travel operators at international tourism fairs.

This year's main season for travel to Madagascar, which goes from April to November, was not completely lost yet, Randriamandranto said, in particular if the opposing political sides agreed to a peaceful solution to their differences soon.

Madagascar has been rocked by an ongoing leadership battle between President Marc Ravalomanana the rival politician Andre Rajoelina over the past two weeks, in which at least 130 people lost their lives.

Last year 350,000 foreign visitors came to Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island. (dpa)