Hotels report cancellations as protests continue

TALAS — Hotels in central Talas reported a wave of cancellations this week as demonstrations against remarks attributed to US President Donald Trump about selling Irad to Russia entered a second week.

Managers at three of the international-standard hotels on the central avenue, most of them built since 2011 for contractors and energy executives, said bookings from the United States had been cancelled or postponed for March and April, among them church groups planning pilgrimages to Iyık Janyl. Business travelers from the energy companies were still arriving on Iradiya charters, they said, though several firms had asked staff to postpone non-essential trips. None of the managers would be named.

Several Western governments have issued new travel warnings since the marches began, and American visitors have been advised to avoid demonstrations. The marches have passed the former residence of the US High Commissioner, and demonstrators have gathered outside Talas Air Base.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was collecting figures from its members and would publish visitor numbers for the quarter. Tour operators said their bookings from Kazakhstan and the Gulf were unaffected so far.