Airfares for Turkey, Azerbaijan fall amid boycott calls over Pak support
An online campaign is gaining momentum for the boycott of tourism to Turkey and Azerbaijan for supporting Pakistan during 'Operation Sindoor', and its impact is evident. The rapid cancellation of planned trips has resulted in a 30% dip in flight prices to Istanbul and Baku.The focus is on urging citizens to avoid products, services, and destinations that trigger a broader economic impact.advertisementAn analysis of over 3 lakh posts by India Today's Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team reveals Turkey as the primary target of the boycott calls.
Since Monday, two days after the cessation of firing was announced, hashtags such as #BoycottTurkey, #BoycottAzerbaijan, and #BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan have been trending in India. Other hashtags include #BoycottTurkeyTourism and #TurkeySupportsTerror accumulated nearly 10,000 and 2200 posts, respectively, in the last one week.
As per data from social media analytics tool TalkWalker, #BoycottTurkey was used in a staggering 2.11 lakh posts, while #BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan hashtag featured in 1.17 lakh posts in the last one week ending May 14.
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Chatter on X also saw users recommending Greece or Armenia as alternative travel destinations, with many posting confirmations of cancelled trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan in response to the boycott calls.Travel platforms like Ixigo, Pickyourtrail and MakeMyTrip have announced measures to discourage tourism to destinations in Turkey and Azerbaijan.Notably, cancellations of scheduled travels to Turkey began well before the social media campaign started. Many influencers called on people to cancel their Turkey travel plans after Ankara supported Pakistan over Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack.FLIGHT PRICES DROPAn analysis of Google Flight Trends data reveals a significant drop in airfares. While flight prices fluctuate based on various factors, one consistent trend is clear: the longer you wait to book your ticket before your travel date, the cheaper the fare tends to be.
To illustrate this, India Today tracked flight prices for the upcoming Sunday, May 18, 2025, over the past 45 days. For example, if you had booked a round-trip ticket from New Delhi to Istanbul before April 22 – the day of the Pahalgam terror attack – the price would have been around Rs 41,000. However, booking the same flight on May 14 would cost Rs 34,752.advertisementInterestingly, fares to Istanbul continued to drop after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed strong support for Pakistan, bringing the price down to Rs 28,482. This is Rs 7,290 lower than the usual fare.A similar trend was observed for flights to Azerbaijan. The price dropped from Rs 49,298 to Rs 35,517 after the Pahalgam attack, and later increased slightly to Rs 37,762 when Azerbaijan expressed its support for Pakistan on May 2.TURKEY'S SUPPORTThe online furore is particularly strong against Turkey, which didn't just express support for Pakistan but has also been supplying weapons to Islamabad.Pakistan used Turkish-origin drones against India during 'Operation Sindoor'.In mid-2024, media reports said Turkey imposed a comprehensive ban on the sale of defence equipment to India in favour of Pakistan.Must Watch
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