Tour groups are to be banned from visiting Tibet and other central and western rural areas in China to prevent the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
A Chinese tourism bureau official told the AFP news agency the ban would affect tour groups already in China and would last for an indefinite period.
Domestic tour groups are already barred from visiting Tibet.
AFP said it was unclear if individual tourists would be allowed to visit the Himalayan region.
China has been the hardest-hit country in the world by the global SARS epidemic with over 3,100 infected and nearly 140 dying from the mysterious and previously unknown disease.
So far no cases of SARS have been reported in Tibet.
