New Delhi: There is a growing anger amongst the Indians against Turkey and Azerbaijan after the two countries backed Islamabad and condemned India’s recent precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. The social media is flooded with online campaigns urging Indians to boycott travel to Istanbul and Baku over their support for Pakistan during the recent military conflict with the Indian armed forces.
MakeMyTrip, India’s largest travel booking platform, confirmed that a huge number of Indian tourists have started cancelling their trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan. “Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60%, while cancellations have surged by 250% during the same period,” MMT said in a statement.
MMT records huge Turkey, Azerbaijan trip cancellations
Notably, MakeMyTrip has not stopped offering flight bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan on its website/app. The travel booking platform, however, has issued a statement, saying “in solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise all against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We have already discontinued all promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations.”
EaseMyTrip founder says India First
Meanwhile, EaseMyTrip founder and former chairman Nishant Pitti has also appealed to Indians to avoid visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan and choose ‘Made in India’ products over Chinese items.
Pitti took to X to educate people about how much did Indian tourists contributed to the tourism sectors in Turkey and Azerbaijan in 2024.
“Travel is a powerful tool. Let’s not use it to empower those who don’t stand with us.
Last year:
• 287,000 Indians visited Turkey &
• 243,000 visited Azerbaijan
Tourism drives their economies:
• Turkey: 12% of GDP | 10% of jobs
• Azerbaijan: 7.6% of GDP | 10% of jobs
When these nations openly support Pakistan, should we fuel their tourism and their economies?
Every rupee we spend abroad is a vote. Let’s spend it where our values are respected.
Jai hind !!” the EaseMyTrip founder posted on X.
EaseMyTrip has recorded 22 percent cancellations to Turkey and over 30 percent cancellations to Azerbaijan.
India’s trade relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan are expected to take a hit as both the countries condemned India’s military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. Following Istanbul and Baku’s support to Pakistan, social media is flooded with calls for boycotting Turkish goods and tourism.
Some Indian traders have already started boycotting Turkish products such as apples and marble.
To avenge Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Following India’s military strikes on Pakistan and subsequent condemnation from Turkey and Azerbaijan, Indian anger has led to a significant drop in tourism to both countries. MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip reported massive cancellation rates, reflecting public sentiment. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
