Indian tourists cancel trips to Turkiye, Azerbaijan over Pakistan support

Indian travellers are cancelling trips to Turkiye and Azerbaijan following the two countries’ public support for Pakistan during its recent military confrontation with India, according to multiple travel booking platforms.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a deadly attack last month in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting the assailants, although no evidence was provided. Pakistan denied the allegation and called for an independent investigation. The confrontation intensified when India conducted airstrikes, claiming to target "terrorist camps" inside Pakistan. A ceasefire agreement was reached over the weekend and has mostly held.

In the aftermath, Turkiye and Azerbaijan — both popular destinations for Indian tourists — expressed support for Pakistan. The statements appear to have impacted travel decisions.

A spokesperson for Indian booking site MakeMyTrip said the platform saw a 60% drop in bookings to Azerbaijan and Turkiye over the past week, while cancellations surged by 250%.

Rikant Pittie, CEO of EaseMyTrip, confirmed a similar trend. He reported a 22% increase in cancellations for trips to Turkiye and 30% for Azerbaijan. According to him, Indian tourists are now opting for alternative destinations such as Georgia, Serbia, Greece, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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

Nishant Pitti, founder and chairman of EaseMyTrip, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that 287,000 Indians travelled to Turkiye and 243,000 to Azerbaijan in the previous year.