How Indian tourists are turning away from Turkey and Azerbaijan — and why it matters

Pedestrians walk before the Rustem Pasha mosque in Istanbul.

In the wake of India’s military offensive under Operation Sindoor, diplomatic fault lines have begun to emerge — and they're quickly spilling into the economic realm. Turkey and Azerbaijan, two countries traditionally seen as close allies of Pakistan, issued statements expressing "concern" and “strong condemnation” over India’s cross-border strikes that targeted terror hubs in the neighbouring country. While these statements may have been aimed at scoring geopolitical points, they’ve sparked a fierce backlash from Indian citizens, especially online.

#BoycottTurkey and #BoycottAzerbaijan movement are gaining momentum across social media platforms, with influencers, travel bloggers, and even mainstream users calling for a halt to tourism to these destinations.

What began as a digital protest is fast turning into a real-world economic disruption. Several Indian travel websites and agencies — from online giants to boutique planners — have already scaled back promotions or suspended listings for Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Travel sites suspend bookings

Travel platform EaseMyTrip has issued a travel advisory urging Indian travellers to avoid visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary. Citing the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and rising tensions between India and Pakistan, company founder and chairman Nishant Pittie said, “In light of Turkey and Azerbaijan expressing support for Pakistan, we advise travellers to exercise caution and consider postponing non-essential travel to these countries.”

“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.

Travel platform Ixigo has halted all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan in response to growing national sentiment following the Pahalgam terror attack. CEO Aloke Bajpai told ThePrint, “In solidarity with the mood of the nation, we’ve suspended travel services to these countries. Our priority is to act with responsibility, stand in alignment with India’s broader interests, and uphold the trust and safety of Indian travellers. At a time like this, we believe there’s no place for business with those standing against us — blood and bookings cannot go hand in hand.”

For the love of our nation, we stand united. pic.twitter.com/GqKKzQ4as9
ixigo (@ixigo) May 10, 2025

Similarly, travel company Pickyourtrail said it is pausing all new bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan. “This is not a comment on the people, but a stance against policies that conflict with India’s national interest,” said company’s co-founder Hari Ganapathy.

Cox & Kings also said it is temporarily putting on hold all new travel to Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

“WE STAND WITH INDIA. Sometimes, a pause becomes a necessity. In light of the current national sentiments, we’re putting a temporary hold on all new travel to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Even though respect and understanding of the world remain at the heart of everything we do, while the nation waits, so will some of our journeys,” the company wrote on X.

WE STAND WITH INDIASometimes, a pause becomes a necessity.In light of the current national sentiments, were putting a temporary hold on all new travel to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.Even though respect and understanding of the world remain at the heart of everything Cox & Kings (@coxandkingsIN) May 9, 2025

Goa Villas announced, "Due to Turkey's non-cooperative stance in the current global scenario involving India and Pakistan, we’ve decided not to offer any accommodation services to Turkish citizens in Goa. We stand firmly with our nation. Jai Hind." Similarly, Go Homestays declared, “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. Jai Hind."

Harsh Goenka urges tourists to boycott travel to Turkey, Azerbaijan

"Indians gave Rs 4,000+cr to Turkey and Azerbaijan last year through tourism. Created jobs. Boosted their economy, hotels, weddings, flights. Today, both stand with Pakistan after Pahalgam attack. Plenty of beautiful places in India and the world. Please skip these 2 places. Jai Hind," he wrote on X.

Indians gave Rs 4,000+cr to Turkey & Azerbaijan last year through tourism. Created jobs. Boosted their economy, hotels, weddings, flights.Today, both stand with Pakistan after Pahalgam attack.Plenty of beautiful places in India & the world.Please skip these 2 places.Jai
Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) May 13, 2025

Rapid rise in tourism

In 2024, Turkey and Azerbaijan were among the fastest-growing tourist markets for Indians. A total of 3.3 lakh Indians visited Turkey, marking a 20.7% increase from 2023, while Azerbaijan experienced a 108% increase, with 2.43 lakh Indian tourists. Turkey reported an average visitor spend of $972 (Rs 82,922) last year.