A month ago, if you asked a travel expert to suggest international destinations, two countries would almost certainly have made it to the top five. Azerbaijan, if you were travelling on a budget; and Turkey, if you had a bit more to splurge.
But things have taken a sharp turn in the past few weeks, ever since the Pahalgam terror attack and the following India-Pakistan conflict. During this period, both Azerbaijan and Turkey made it clear where their loyalties were – with Pakistan.
This, understandably, didn’t sit well with Indian travellers, who are among the main reasons behind the growing popularity of these countries as a tourist destination. Since the India-Pakistan conflict, a large number of Indians have responded by cancelling trips in masses to both destinations.
On Wednesday, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka also urged Indians to steer clear of these two countries.
“Plenty of beautiful places in India & the world. Please skip these 2 places. Jai Hind. Today, both stand with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform, X.
The hashtags #BoycottTurkey and #BoycottAzerbaijan quickly gained traction. In solidarity, several Indian travel platforms took strict action, further reinforcing the call to avoid these countries.
So, What Are The Numbers Saying?
- MakeMyTrip reported a 60 per cent drop in bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan in just a week, with cancellations jumping by 250 per cent. The company has since pulled all promotions related to these destinations.
A pop-up appears when you visit the MMT site.
Photo Credit: MakeMyTrip
- EaseMyTrip saw 22 per cent cancellations for Turkey and over 30 per cent for Azerbaijan. They’ve also suspended all flight and hotel bookings to both countries, advising travellers to reconsider unless travel is essential.
- Their CEO pointed out that in 2024 alone, Turkey welcomed 2.74 lakh Indian tourists (a 20.7 per cent increase from the previous year), while Azerbaijan received 2,43,589 Indian visitors – making India its third-largest tourist source. That momentum has now taken a serious hit.
- Ixigo, too, halted all bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. The CEO summed it up succinctly: “Enough is enough! Blood and bookings won’t flow together.”
Farhan, Director Sales at Indian travel agency DMC Wale, tells the media, “This was Turkey season in the Indian market. We had very good bookings – over 200 for May, June and July. Of these, 80 per cent have been cancelled. We’ve made a conscious decision not to promote countries that don’t stand with us. There’s been no directive from the government; this is entirely our call. We used to average 70-80 bookings per month – now we have zero. Just cancellations…”
Travel agents sell Azerbaijan packages for a couple for Rs 2,00,000 for four days (excluding flights in most cases).
For Turkey, a seven-day trip can cost Rs 4,00,000 for a couple (excluding flights and visa in most cases).
How Much Money Do Indians Actually Spend In Turkey and Azerbaijan?
To understand the financial impact, we looked at how much Indian tourists have spent in recent years. Travel saw a sharp rise since the pandemic; so, we’ve taken 2019 as our starting point.
Starting with the more budget-friendly Azerbaijan: