 "As Turkey & Azerbaijan support Pakistan, bookings fall 60%, cancellations surge 250%, says Make My Trip")
Indians have been punishing Turkey and Azerbaijan for their support of Pakistan in the ongoing tensions in their own way.
Bookings for Turkey and Turkey have fallen by 60 per cent and cancellations have surged by 250 per cent in recent days, according to a spokesperson of Make My Trip.
Since the Pahalgam attack and resultant Operation Sindoor by India, Turkey and Azerbaijan have emerged as the most vocal supporters of Pakistan. Turkey’s support goes way beyond statements. The country has provided Pakistan with armed drones that it has used to attack India.
As a result, a movement has taken shape in India for the boycott of the countries. People and companies have joined hands. While companies have suspended bookings for these countries, people have made calls to not buy these countries’ products.
Make My Trip joins travel companies in stand on Turkey, Azerbaijan
Make My Trip has become the latest company to take a stand on Turkey and Azerbaijan's support for Pakistan amid ongoing tensions.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said that Make My Trip has discontinued all promotions and offers for Turkey and Azerbaijan to discourage people from travelling to these countries.
“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,” said the spokesperson.
Other companies that have taken a stand against Turkey and Azerbaijan are:
EaseMyTrip has suspended all bookings for Turkey.
Cox & Kings has suspended all bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan
Travomint has suspended of all travel packages to Turkey and Azerbaijan.
ixigo has suspended bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Goa Villas has ended the partnership with Turkish Airlines.
Cleartrip has suspended all bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Tourism is a major source of revenue for these two countries and Indians have emerged as an important customer segment — particularly for Azerbaijan.
Estimates suggest that tourism contributes to around 28 per cent of Azerbaijan’s GDP and Indians make up around 10 per cent of all those tourists. Indians are the fourth-largest source of tourists for the country.
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In Turkey, tourism and hospitality sectors contribute around $140 billion to the economy and Indian tourists are among the fastest-growing segments. In recent years, the country had become particularly popular among Indians for destination weddings and corporate meetings, conferences, retreats, and exhibitions. Last year, Indian tourists to the country grew by around 20 per cent year-on-year.
Calls for boycott have also been expanded to products imported from these countries, such as Turkish apples. India is the largest importer of Turkish apples and imported apples worth around $92 million last year.
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