Indian travellers shift away from Turkey, Azerbaijan, visa applications drop sharply: Report
Visa processing platform Atlys on Tuesday said visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan have declined by 42 per cent, following the outrage among Indians over the public support shown by both countries for Pakistan after India's Operation Sindoor.
The show of support to Pakistan from Turkey and Azerbaijan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor seems to have shifted Indian traveller sentiment.
Indian travellers responded swiftly by deciding to avoid travelling to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Atlys said, according to a PTI news agency report.
Within just 36 hours, the platform noted 60 per cent of users exiting the visa application process midway, it added.
'The reaction wasn't scattered, it was sharp and behavioural. People didn't need to be told to avoid certain destinations. They simply moved on, guided by instinct, information, and access to alternatives,' PTI quoted Atlys founder and CEO Mohak Nahta.
"That's what modern travel looks like. It's emotionally intelligent, logistically agile, and backed by platforms that let people act fast. In the same spirit, we also paused all marketing efforts for Turkey and Azerbaijan, standing by India and in solidarity with national sentiment," Mehta added.
According to the PTI report, the majority of the fall in visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan was from travellers in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, showing a 53 per cent drop in Turkey-bound applications, while interest from tier II cities such as Indore and Jaipur remained more resilient, with a decline of only 20 per cent.
According to the data from Atlys, the reversal came after a strong start to the year (January-March), when visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan had witnessed a growth of nearly 64 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.
Group visa requests, including family trips, fell by nearly 49 per cent, while solo and couple applications declined more gradually at 27 per cent. This suggests that larger group travellers, often planning further in advance and more sensitive to political sentiment, reacted more decisively than individual travellers.
Atlys' data also revealed that travellers aged 25 to 34 years were the most likely to change course quickly, accounting for over 70 per cent of mid-process application drop-offs for Turkey.
Interestingly, women travellers were more likely to switch destinations entirely, with a 2.3 times higher tendency to reinitiate applications for Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam or Thailand, Atlys said.
Applications to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Egypt rose by up to 31 per cent. These countries, seen as affordable, accessible, and politically neutral, are now drawing attention from the same traveller base that once favoured Baku and Istanbul.
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