‘50% travel bookings’ for Turkey, Azerbaijan from India cancelled over Pakistan support amid boycott calls

Amid calls for boycotting travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan, flight bookings to these two nations have dropped by 60 per cent in the last one week and cancellations surged to 250 per cent, MakeMyTrip said on Wednesday.

The two countries had openly supported Pakistan after India launched air strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Following this, Indians launched a campaign on social media to boycott travel to Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Türkiye decreasing by 60 per cent, while cancellations have surged by 250 per cent during the same period,” a MakeMyTrip spokesperson stated.

“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 Türkiye,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company has already discontinued all promotions and offers on its platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations.

Speaking to ANI, former president of Travel Agents Association of India Jyoti Mayal said up to 50 per cent of the bookings made for Turkey and Azerbaijan from India have been cancelled. "We have helped and supported Turkey and Azerbaijan a lot in the tourism sector. We must show our displeasure over how they have behaved with India. We are not supporting travel to these countries," she said.

Indian armed forces had conducted Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed.

During the India-Pakistan conflict, Istanbul had expressed its solidarity with Islamabad and supported its proposal for an international investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack. Turkey had also supplied military weapons to Pakistan.

Azerbaijan, in its statement on India-Pakistan tensions, has echoed the Pakistani line.

EaseMyTrip boycotts Turkey, Azerbaijan

Echoing the call for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan, EaseMyTrip co-founder Prashant Pitti on Wednesday said the national interest comes first and the business interest later.

“As a company, EaseMyTrip, we always think of the nation first and business later,” Prashant Pitti told ANI.

“In the events which are happening right now, where there is an ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan, even though there is a ceasefire, the ceasefire is also getting violated. We are seeing countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey standing on the wrong side of history. Pakistan is clearly caught at the funeral of UN-designated terrorists,” he added.

Pitti also said that since the boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan campaign gathered steam, 22 per cent of people have cancelled their bookings to Turkey, and another 30 per cent have cancelled their flights to Azerbaijan.

In early 2024, EaseMyTrip had cancelled bookings for the Maldives after India’s ties with the archipelago soured following some derogatory remarks by Maldivian officials against India and its leadership.