How Indian’s travelers are turning away from Turkey and Azerbaijan and what that means:

Following India’s military operation entitled ‘Operation Sindoor’, Indians are canceling trips to popular tourist destinations in Turkey and Azerbaijan, after both countries publicly supported Pakistan, according to Reuters news citing two travel agencies. Issued statements expressing ‘concern’ and ‘strong condemnation’ over India’s cross-border strikes that targeted terror hubs in the neighbor country Pakistan. While those statements may have been aimed at scoring geopolitical points, they’ve sparked a fierce incited backlash from Indian citizens, especially online.

Hashtag BoycottTurkey and Hashtag BoycottAzerbaijan have been trending on social media channels, with influencers, travel bloggers, and even regular social media users have asked travelers to stop travelling to these destinations.

What began as a digital protest is quickly turning into a real-world economic disruption. Numerous Indian travel platforms and agencies – including online travel giants and boutique planning agencies – have already stopped promotions for Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Travel sites suspend booking:
EaseMyTrip, a travel platform has issued a travel advisory urging Indian travelers to avoid visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan unless extremely necessary. With the lingering after effects of the Pahalgam terror attack along with rising tensions between India and Pakistan, company’s founder and chairman Nishant Pittie said, “Turkey and Azerbaijan have openly expressed support towards Pakistan; therefore, we advise people to stay alert and look to delay any optional plans in those regions."

“Stay updated on current developments and be careful while planning your travels. We are deeply concern by the latest developments. Safety of travelers is our utmost priority. We encourage all of our travelers to be cautious and stay updated on official travel advisories before planning trips to sensitive regions," he added.

Travel company Ixigo put a hold on all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan in response to growing national sentiment amplified following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. CEO Aloke Bajpai told ThePrint, "In solidarity with the mood of the nation, we’ve suspended travel services to these countries. Our priority is to act with responsibility, stand in aligned with India's greater interests and the trust and safety of Indian travelers. At this time, there is no commercials place with those standing against us - blood and bookings cannot go hand in hand."

Similarly, travel company “Pickyourtrail” announced that it is suspending all new bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan. "This is not a comment on the people, but a stance against policy that conflict with India’s national interest," said the company's co-founder Hari Ganapathy. 

“WE STAND WITH INDIA. Sometimes, a pause becomes necessity. In view of the current national sentiments, we are putting all new travel to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan on temporary hold. While respect and understanding of the world we live in remain at the heart of everything we do, while the nation waits. So will some of our journeys” the company wrote on X.

Goa Villas stated, "Due to Turkey's non-cooperative behavior in the current global circumstances involving India-Pakistan, we have decided not to provide any accommodation services for Turkish citizens in Goa. We do it with pride for the nation, we are a part of. Jai Hind." Similarly, Go Homestays stated, "We are severing our relationship with Turkish Airlines as a result of their unsupported stance towards India. We will no longer be entertaining their flights in our international travel packages. Jai Hind'.

Harsh Goenka asks to boycott travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan.
"Indians gave Rs 4,000+cr to Turkey and Azerbaijan for tourism last year. Created jobs, boosted their economy, hotels, weddings, flights. Today both stand with Pakistan after Pahalgam attack. Lots of beautiful places in India and the world. Please skip these 2 places. Jai Hind," he wrote on X.

Rapid increase of tourism
In 2024, Turkey and Azerbaijan were among the fastest growing tourist market for Indians, with a total of 3.3 lakh Indians visiting Turkey, marking a 20.7% increase from 2023, while Azerbaijan experienced a 108% increase, with 2.43 lakh Indian tourists. Turkey said the average spend by visitors was $972 (Rs 82,922) in the last year.

Source : https://www.moneycontrol.com/
              https://www.hindustantimes.com/

To Know More About Travel And Tourism And Want Us To Plan Your Best Travel Experience With Us Call Or Whatsapp At +91-9733533000 Or You Can Visit https://www.marinetoalpine.com