Guwahati: Indian travel agencies report a significant drop in bookings and a surge in cancellations for Turkey and Azerbaijan as a growing number of Indian tourists call off their trips.
This follows the two nations’ public support for Pakistan amid recent tensions with India stemming from Operation Sindoor and the April 22nd terror attack in Pahalgam.
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According to Reuters, MakeMyTrip reported a 60% drop in bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan last week, along with a 250% rise in cancellations. EaseMyTrip’s CEO, Rikant Pittie, confirmed the trend, saying travelers are now choosing places like Georgia, Serbia, Greece, Thailand, and Vietnam instead. He added that cancellations for Turkey rose by 22% and for Azerbaijan by 30% due to recent political tensions.
Earlier, travel site Ixigo announced on X that it had stopped flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. EaseMyTrip’s founder, Nishant Pitti, also posted on X, noting that 287,000 Indians visited Turkey and 243,000 visited Azerbaijan last year. He questioned whether Indians should support countries that openly back Pakistan.
Subhash Goyal, Chairman of the Tourism Committee at the Indian Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the industry’s commitment to ethical and responsible tourism aligned with national values. He stated that several tourism associations and industry bodies have voiced solidarity and a commitment to prioritizing national interest over commercial gains.
The Indian Chamber of Commerce, he added, joins these organizations in calling for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their stance against India’s response to terrorism. Goyal further noted that tourism should be a force for good, promoting peace, global harmony, and international understanding.
The recent tensions escalated after India’s Operation Sindoor, a military response to the April 22nd terror attack in Pahalgam that resulted in 26 fatalities.
During the operation, Indian forces conducted targeted strikes on nine locations linked to terrorist activities, including camps in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, and Bahawalpur, situated in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India and Pakistan reached a ceasefire understanding on May 10th.
Azerbaijan had released a statement echoing Pakistan’s position on the conflict, while Turkey supported Islamabad’s demand for an international investigation into the Pahalgam attack and has historically supplied weapons to Pakistan.