- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Wed, 14 May 2025 11:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Indians have abruptly cancelled their travel plans to Turkey and Azerbaijan after both nations openly supported Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The netizens expressed their anger across social media platforms, as the two nations backed Pakistan in India’s military action against the former.
Several social groups and travel agents joined the call to boycott tourism in Turkey and Azerbaijan, leading to a significant drop in bookings. Travellers are now opting for alternative destinations.
As per a travel agency, 80 per cent of the bookings to Turkey have been cancelled since the boycott call took social media platforms by storm. The government, however, issued no such appeal or any directive to the travel agencies.
"In the Indian market, this was the season for visiting Turkey. We had very good bookings for Turkey. For the months of May, June and July, we had more than 200 bookings, out of which 80% have been cancelled. It is our decision that we will not promote the country which is not standing with us at the moment. We have not received any notification from the government; it is our decision. We used to have 70-80 bookings every month, but we have zero bookings. We only have cancellations now," sales director of DMC Wale, a travel agency, told ANI.
Leading travel platforms such as MakeMyTrip have reported a sharp 60 per cent decline in bookings to these destinations. In light of the growing public sentiment around a boycott call, MakeMyTrip has withdrawn all promotional campaigns and special offers linked to Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Echoing similar concerns, EaseMyTrip has also taken a firm stance. Nishant Pittie, the company’s co-founder called on Indian travellers to rethink their travel choices, emphasising that tourism spending should not support nations viewed as contrary to India’s interests.
