Tourists flee Sri Lanka, as travel industry faces uncertainty

Tourists are scrambling to flee Sri Lanka and cancelling holidays after a string of deadly suicide blasts that have sparked concerns the lucrative tourism industry could be sent into a tailspin.

The attacks on hotels and churches came as Sri Lanka was emerging as a leading tourist hot-spot, named the world's top destination for 2019 by a major guide book.

The Easter Sunday massacre killed nearly 300 people, including 37 foreigners.

German schoolteacher Martin Ewest arrived in the island nation two days ago, hoping for a peaceful holiday with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. But all that changed when he heard about the attacks.

"We want to leave as soon as possible... but our embassy can't help because they are on holiday, our airline says they can't do anything, and our hotel has not offered us any assistance," the 44-year-old told AFP.

"It's a difficult situation... we are like sitting ducks, waiting until we can leave next week."