2000 Indian Tourists Boycott Turkey, Azerbaijan, Cancelled Bookings

Indian tourists are putting their plans to Turkey and Azerbaijan on hold; more than 2,000 cancellation requests have been made thus far. Calls for a boycott coincide with Turkey and Azerbaijan's unfavorable attitude toward India due to border disputes with Pakistan. Many Indian tourists are now choosing other places, according to travel sites, which also indicate a substantial decline in bookings, an increase in cancellations, and a growing unfavorable sentiment towards the two locations.

Between May and July 2025, Indian and international airlines received over 2,000 requests to cancel reservations for flights to Turkey and Azerbaijan, according to preliminary estimates from industry participants and analysts.

"We have received around 2,000 cancellations and rescheduling requests in the last week for travel to Istanbul and Baku over the next three months," a senior airline representative said.

Although cancellation requests have significantly increased over the past week, they still represent less than 5% of all travel reservations to Turkey and Azerbaijan when considering the total passenger traffic to these two countries.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global trade association for airlines, has revealed that Azerbaijan is emerging as a major transport and tourism hub in Eurasia, and its influence in the global aviation landscape is expected to only grow in the coming years.

Since May 7, more than half of vacation package reservations to these locations have been canceled, according to Sabina Chopra, co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of the travel site Yatra. Over the past week, Cleartrip has seen a 260 percent increase in cancellations as Indian travelers have expressed their disapproval.

Although the website still allows users to book flights to Turkey and Azerbaijan, MMT did say that it stands in solidarity with our nation, and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise all against non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. All of our platform's incentives and offers have already been removed to deter travel to these two locations.

The CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, Rikant Pittie, stated that although inquiries for Turkey and Azerbaijan are still pouring in from travelers who have already made reservations, overall interest has drastically decreased in comparison to past months.

On a weekly basis, there are about 13,000 seats between India and Turkey and slightly more than 3,000 seats between Azerbaijan and India. Both of these countries still have a lot of one-stop possibilities.

According to Flightradar24 data, despite calls for a boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan in India, no flights between India and Turkey have been canceled as of yet.

Similarly, according to data from Flightradar24, IndiGo is the sole airline that flies between Delhi and Baku at the moment, and no flights have been canceled in the last week.

The calls for boycotts of Turkey and Azerbaijan have spread beyond social media and are evident in the demand for reservations, as reported by numerous travel websites. This will have a negative impact on the two countries' tourism industries.

Southeast Asian countries are gaining preference as Indians are removing Baku and Istanbul from their vacation itinerary. Nations like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia have become popular destinations because of their accessibility, affordability, and variety of experiences. Georgia is also becoming more popular with Indian travelers, who are drawn to places like Tbilisi and Stepantsminda because of their beautiful scenery, vibrant culture, and simple visa procedures.