IHG accused of profiting from Uyghur ‘genocide’

Senior UK parliamentarians, including former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, have urged InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), owner of Holiday Inn, to reconsider its operations in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), citing concerns over alleged genocide against Uyghur Muslims, Daily Mail reported.

Research by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) revealed IHG currently runs four hotels in Xinjiang, with 16 more planned, raising questions about profiting from a region accused of mass surveillance, forced labor, and repression.

MPs warned that continued business there risks endorsing human rights abuses and urged IHG to reassess its presence. IHG previously promoted Xinjiang hotels on its website, now removed. The region’s tourism is growing despite international sanctions and accusations of genocide by several governments and legal groups.

Experts argue that international hotel chains contribute to Beijing’s propaganda by normalizing Xinjiang as a travel destination, potentially enabling ongoing persecution of Uyghurs.