Turkey, Azerbaijan feel the heat: Tourism and trade hit as India ups ante over support to Pakistan

This February 2025 photo shows Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari (L) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) greeting Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C)upon his arrival at the Nur Khan military airbase in Rawalpindi.

While global powers responded cautiously and most of them backed India after the Pahalgam terror attack, two countries—Turkey and Azerbaijan—stood out for their vocal support of Pakistan. It was also revealed that during the military conflict, Pakistan used some 300-400 Turkish drones in its failed attempt to attack security establishments in Jammu, Pathankot, Jaisalmer and several other cities.

That open backing has triggered a sweeping backlash within India. What began as outrage on social media quickly has escalated into something much more tangible: a nationwide boycott. Indian tourists are cancelling trips. E-commerce platforms delisting products. Corporates reconsidering their exposure. Traders and travel aggregators suspending services. The response has been swift, symbolic—and economically potent.

Now, Turkey and Azerbaijan—until recently among the fastest-growing tourist destinations for Indian travellers and emerging trade partners—find themselves facing an unexpected economic squeeze.

However, even amid the boycott calls, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once voiced his support for Pakistan today, saying that Ankara will continue to back the "brotherly people of Pakistan" in good and bad times.

Indian tourists cancel trips, travel portals take firm stand

In 2024, Turkey welcomed approximately 3.3 lakh Indian tourists, marking a 20.7% increase from the previous year. Azerbaijan saw a staggering 108% rise, with 2.43 lakh Indian visitors, making India its fourth-largest tourist source after Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

However, following the recent geopolitical developments, Indian travel platforms like MakeMyTrip reported a 60% drop in bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan, with cancellations surging by 250% in the last one week. EaseMyTrip issued advisories urging travellers to avoid non-essential travel to these countries.

"Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60 per cent, while cancellations have surged by 250 per cent during the same period. 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," a MakeMyTrip spokesperson said.

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.

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 CEO and founder Govind Gaur told Moneycontrol.

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

This shift is not just symbolic; it poses a substantial economic threat to the tourism sectors of both nations.

Trade relations under strain

India's trade with Turkey and Azerbaijan, though a smaller fraction of its global trade, is noteworthy. India's exports to Turkey stood at USD 5.2 billion during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 6.65 billion in 2023-24. It accounts for only about 1.5 per cent of India's total exports of USD 437 billion. India's exports to Azerbaijan stood at only USD 86.07 million during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against USD 89.67 million in 2023-24. It accounts for a meagre 0.02 per cent of India's total outbound shipments.

India's exports to Turkey include: mineral fuels and oil (USD 960 million in 2023-24); electrical machinery and equipment; auto and its parts; organic chemicals; pharma products; tanning and dyeing items; plastic, rubber; cotton; man-made fibres and filaments, iron and steel.

Imports: Different types of marbles (blocks and slabs); fresh apples (about USD 10 million), gold, vegetables, lime and cement; mineral oil (USD 1.81 billion in 2023-24); chemicals; natural or cultured pearls; iron and steel.

A bilateral trade agreement was signed in 1973, followed by a pact on setting up an India, Turkiye Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation in 1983.

India's exports to Azerbaijan: tobacco and its products (USD 28.67 million in 2023-24); tea, coffee; cereals; chemicals; plastic; rubber; paper and paper board; and ceramic products.

Imports include: Animal fodder; organic chemicals; essential oils and perfumery; and raw hides and skins and leather (USD 1.52 million during Apr-Feb 2024-25). In 2023, India was the third-largest destination for Azerbaijan's crude oil.

The boycott has led Indian traders to shun Turkish products like apples and marble. This move, while economically symbolic, underscores India's disapproval of Turkey and Azerbaijan's political stance.

According to a Times of India report, nearly 70% of India’s marble imports come from Turkey, worth thousands of crores, which have now been stopped by traders and associations. Similarly, fruit markets witness Turkish apples being replaced by alternatives from Iran, New Zealand and Himachal Pradesh.

E-commerce companies reduce visibility of Turkish brands

E-commerce (ecom) platforms in India are quietly reducing the visibility of Turkish brands, reports Business Standard, citing people familiar with the matter. “Over the weekend, we decided to de-prioritise the visibility of Turkish brands on our platform. We are also evaluating whether to delist them entirely,” the report quoted an executive at an online retailer as saying.

The report further quoted E-com experts saying that several online Indian travel companies have already taken steps to limit ties with Turkey and Azerbaijan, citing the countries’ perceived alignment with Pakistan amid recent India-Pakistan tensions.

"In solidarity with India’s national interest and sovereignty, Flipkart Travel and Cleartrip are suspending all flight, hotel and holiday package bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan. Our stand is clear. Our loyalty, unwavering. We stand with India. Always," the Flipkart group shared on social media.

QSR Giants Caught in Diplomatic Crossfire

The India-Pakistan conflict and subsequent diplomatic strain with Turkey have put Indian quick service restaurant (QSR) stocks with overseas operations under scrutiny, particularly Devyani International, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut outlets in Turkey. Amid growing boycott calls against Turkey and Azerbaijan for backing Pakistan, investors are increasingly wary of companies exposed to these markets. Shares of Devyani International, which has around 100 outlets in Turkey, fell nearly 5% in recent trading. Even Jubilant FoodWorks, which runs Domino’s in India and has presence in other foreign markets, saw a dip as market sentiment turned cautious, reflecting concerns that geopolitical tensions may begin to impact Indian firms with business interests in pro-Pakistan countries.