How India’s boycott for supporting Pakistan will hurt Turkey, Azerbaijan

Indians are calling for a boycott of travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan. Travel companies have joined this chorus by pausing bookings to these countries, citing national sentiments.

Turkey and Azerbaijan drew the ire of social media users in India after coming out in support of Islamabad following Indian Armed Forces’ strikes on nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor early May 7. Since then, there has been a clarion call to boycott travel to these nations as Indians question their pro-Pakistan stand.

Will India’s boycott hurt Turkey and Azerbaijan? Let’s take a look.

Indians ‘boycott’ Turkey, Azerbaijan

After India’s Operation Sindoor, Ankara and Baku showed solidarity with Pakistan.

Turkiye’s foreign affairs ministry condemned India’s “unprovoked aggression violating Pakistan’s sovereignty and killing innocent civilians”. It said Operation Sindoor raised the “risk of an all-out war.”

Turkey also called on both sides to “exercise common sense and refrain from unilateral actions.”

Later, the Indian Army revealed that the 300-400 drones sent by Pakistan across India’s border areas in the wake of Operation Sindoor were Turkish-made Songar drones .

Decrying India’s military action, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement backing Islamabad. “Being in solidarity with the people of Pakistan, we express condolences to the families of the innocent victims and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

We call on all parties to exercise restraint and to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means," it said.

This pro-Pakistan stance hurt the sentiments of Indians, with some calling for a travel boycott of these Muslim nations . Several travel companies have since paused bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Travel platform EaseMyTrip issued an advisory, asking travellers to visit Turkey and Azerbaijan only if absolutely necessary. Its founder and chairman, Nishant Pittie, said, “Following the Pahalgam attack and escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, travellers are urged to stay aware. As Turkey and Azerbaijan have shown support for Pakistan, we strongly recommend visiting only if absolutely necessary.”

He advised people not to travel to these countries unless “absolutely essential”.

“Please stay updated on current developments and exercise caution while making travel plans. We are deeply concerned by the recent developments. The safety of travellers is our top priority. We advise all our customers to exercise utmost caution and stay updated on official travel advisories before planning trips to sensitive regions," Pittie added.

Ixigo has suspended all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, China and Azerbaijan. “Respecting the sentiments shared by all Indians at this time, we have suspended all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. Our commitment is to act responsibly and in alignment with our country’s broader interests, while prioritising the trust, safety, and interests of Indian travellers. Blood and bookings won’t flow together,” Aloke Bajpai, CEO of Ixigo, told ThePrint.

WanderOn, a D2C (direct-to-consumer) travel-technology firm, has also shut bookings for the two nations. “We have closed the bookings for these two places and we are not making any new bookings. As for the existing bookings for the two places, Indians are saying they don’t want to travel and are asking for a refund to check to reschedule their travel to other destinations,” the company’s chief executive officer and founder, Govind Gaur, was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

Cox & Kings said it will temporarily stop all new travel offerings to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkey.

“In light of recent developments, we have decided to pause all new travel offerings to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey. This decision is driven by our commitment to uphold principles that matter deeply to us and the people of our country. We also advise Indian travellers to exercise discretion and avoid any non-essential travel to these destinations until there is greater clarity and alignment in the broader geopolitical environment,” said Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings.

Travel accommodation brand Go Homestays has ended its partnership with Turkish Airlines. “We are officially ending our partnership with Turkish Airlines due to their unsupportive stance towards India. Going forward, we will no longer include their flights in our international travel packages,” the firm said.

Travomint has also reportedly suspended all travel packages to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

In numbers: Indian tourists in Turkey, Azerbaijan

The demand for travel to Turkey and the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, has jumped in recent years.

According to Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 3,30,000 Indians travelled to the country last year, compared to 119,503 arrivals in 2014.

Its tourism board said that Turkey’s tourism revenue reached an all-time high of $61.1 billion in 2024, an 8.3 per cent increase from the year before.

Turkey reported an average visitor spend of $972 (Rs 82,922) last year, as per an Economic Times (ET) report.

Indians have contributed to Turkey’s tourism growth, with the number of visitors rising by 20.7 per cent last year, compared to 2023. This can be attributed to several factors, including better air connectivity between the two nations, growing interest among Indian wedding planners and MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions] organisers, ET reported, citing the tourism board.

Azerbaijan has also captured the interest of Indian travellers in recent years.

While just 4,853 Indians visited Azerbaijan in 2014, the number of tourists spiked to 243,589 in 2024, Livemint reported, citing the Azerbaijan Tourism Board. Around 1.17 lakh Indians had arrived in the country in 2023.

India has reportedly emerged as the fourth-largest tourist source for Azerbaijan, after Russia, Turkiye, and Iran.

The blend of tradition and modernity makes the country an appealing choice for Indians.

According to Booking.com’s Travel Predictions 2025, Azerbaijan’s cities of Gabala and Baku were among the top 10 International Trending Destinations for Indian travellers this year.

How India’s boycott will impact Turkey, Azerbaijan

As calls for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan gain momentum, Indians are likely to avoid travelling to these destinations.

WanderOn’s CEO Gaur told Moneycontrol that Indians are cancelling their bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan in the wake of these countries’ support for Pakistan. “Over 50 per cent drop in bookings is expected from India to Azerbaijan and Turkey. India is one of the biggest markets after China for the destinations,” he said.

The business leader also predicted that the loss to Turkey and Azerbaijan will be bigger than when Indians boycotted the Maldives last year for derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by some ministers.

“I see a much larger impact as compared to the Maldives. Baku or Azerbaijan is on travellers’ minds because of Indian tourists. Last year, they had the highest number of people travelling to Azerbaijan from India. There won’t be any new bookings and this is peak season time for them. Turkish Airlines will also see a significant impact because they are already boycotting the airline. We will see a much larger impact on them in the coming days,” Gaur said.

Indian politicians have also slammed Turkey for supplying drones to Pakistan. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi rebuked a purported statement by Ankara’s tourism department, which urged Indians not to “postpone or cancel any trips” to Turkey.

Sharing the statement, she wrote on X, “No Türkiye, Indians won’t come spending money on tourism in a country that uses the same to arm Pakistan. Look for your tourists elsewhere, our money ain’t blood money.”

Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh, Kuldeep Singh Rathore, has called for an immediate ban on Turkish imports.

Accusing Turkey of “diplomatic betrayal”, he reminded Ankara of India’s assistance during the 2023 earthquake under ‘Operation Dost.’

“I strongly demand that India immediately ban the import of apples and other goods from Turkey. Our countrymen must also boycott Turkish products and tourism. We cannot allow any nation to enjoy our goodwill while arming those who threaten our national security,” Rathore reportedly said.

Former police chief Prakash Singh argued that India should “redefine” its ties with Turkey. “Any agreement on route-sharing between any Indian airlines and Turkish airlines must be terminated,” he wrote on X.

As per an ANI report, Pune traders have started boycotting apples imported from Turkey.

“We have decided to stop purchasing apples from Turkey and are instead opting for produce from Himachal, Uttarakhand, Iran, and other regions,” Suyog Zende, an apple merchant at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market in Pune, told the news agency. “This decision aligns with our patriotic duty and support for the nation.”

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has demanded that the management of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai cancel the contract with the Turkish company handling the ground services.

“Turkey is helping Pakistan. How can we allow their companies to earn here? They are earning here and helping Pakistan. This will not happen,” Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, who led the protest, said, as per Deccan Herald.

He said they have also informed the Mumbai Police Commissioner about the issue.

“We have given an ultimatum of 10 days…if nothing happens, we will make a 10,000-plus morcha at the Mumbai airport,” he said. “We will not allow any Turkish firm to work here…we will identify such companies and ask them to leave.”

The Shiv Sena will make sure that no Turkish company bags any contract in Maharashtra, Patel said.

With inputs from agencies