Indian Firms See Booking Drop in Turkiye, Azerbaijan Over Pakistan Aid

BENGALURU: Following the support extended by Turkiye and Azerbaijan to Pakistan during its recent conflict with New Delhi, many Indian travelers are canceling their vacations in these popular destinations, two travel agencies have reported.

Relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated sharply after a deadly strike in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month, which India claims was orchestrated by Pakistan, although it has not provided evidence.

Pakistan has vehemently rejected these claims and has called for an independent investigation into the incident. Tensions escalated last week when India conducted airstrikes on what it described as “terrorist training camps” within Pakistan. A ceasefire was established on Saturday, which has been largely respected since.

Both Turkiye and Azerbaijan, which are favored budget travel spots for Indians, issued statements expressing solidarity with Islamabad following India’s military action.

“We’ve seen a 60% drop in bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkiye over the past week, while cancellations have skyrocketed by 250%,” a spokesperson for MakeMyTrip (MMYT.O) stated.

EaseMyTrip’s CEO, Rikant Pittie, noted a 22% increase in cancellations for Turkey and 30% for Azerbaijan, attributing these changes to recent geopolitical issues.

Travelers are now opting for alternative destinations like Georgia, Serbia, Greece, Thailand, and Vietnam, he added.

Another travel booking platform, ixigo, previously announced on social media that it would halt flight and hotel bookings for Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and China.

Nishant Pitti, the founder and chairman of EaseMyTrip, shared on social media that 287,000 Indians traveled to Turkiye last year, while 243,000 chose Azerbaijan.