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Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
In solidarity Indian tourists, operators cancel holidays to Turkey, Azerbaijan
Live Events You Might Also Like: Indians call for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan amid escalating tensions with Pakistan (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Many Indians are cancelling planned trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan while some travel operators have suspended tour packages to these countries amid growing boycott calls on social media after they condemned India's ' Operation Sindoor ' strikes on terror infrastructure in these countries had become popular among Indian travellers and the developments will impact bookings, said Himanshu Patil, director at Kesari Tours, and president of Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI). "Travel is my business, but people are right in thinking this way," he said. "It is unfortunate that these countries are siding with Pakistan and going against India."Cox & Kings on Friday said it has decided to "temporarily pause" all new travel offerings to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey in keeping with the broader sentiments of its customers and the nation, and in a bid to prioritise traveller safety. "We also advise Indian travellers to exercise discretion and avoid any non-essential travel to these destinations until there is greater clarity and alignment in the broader geopolitical environment," said Karan Agarwal, director at Cox & Kings. EaseMyTrip stated on X that it would recommend visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan "only if absolutely necessary."Foreign ministries of Turkey and Azerbaijan had in separate statements on Wednesday condemned India's attacks in Pakistan in the early ours of Wednesday, agreeing with Pakistan's claims that civilians were has maintained that its focused, measured and non-escalatory operation hit terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and that military establishments and civilians were not BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan was trending on X on Thursday evening with over 12,000 posts."Tourism is a choice. So is dignity," read a widely shared post on social media, while another one stated: "2.4 lakh Indians travelled to Azerbaijan, 3.3 lakh Indians travelled to Turkey in 2024. Why fund Pakistan's allies? Support India's friends-Armenia and Greece!"Siddharth Bakaria, founder of Goa-based holiday rentals platform Goa Villas and Go Homestays, who also offers travel packages including flight bookings for overseas countries, said he has decided to end his partnership with Turkish airlines due to their "unsupportive stance" towards whose firms have 117 listed properties in Goa, has also decided not to offer any accommodation to Turkish citizens. "Pakistan has attacked India several times and most countries are supporting us. On the other hand, Turkey is openly supporting Pakistan. We stand with our country and have decided not to offer any accommodation to Turkish citizens in Goa," he and Azerbaijan had gained considerable traction from India with better air connectivity, marketing and promotions.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indians call for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan amid escalating tensions with Pakistan
Amid rising tensions, many Indians are boycotting travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan. This follows reports of their support for Pakistan. Travel companies are seeing cancellations. Some businesses are refusing service to Turkish citizens. The hashtag BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan is trending. Both countries had seen increased Indian tourism due to better connectivity and marketing. The boycott impacts tourism growth in both countries. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Thousands of Indians called for boycotting travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan and following reports that the two countries had expressed support for Pakistan."Tourism is a choice. So is dignity", read a widely shared post on social media, while another one stated: '2.4 lakh Indians travelled to Azerbaijan, 3.3 lakh Indians travelled to Turkey in 2024. Why fund Pakistan's allies? Support India's friends-Armenia and Greece!."Himanshu Patil, director, Kesari Tours , and president, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) said enquiries have started coming in from travellers who are looking at cancelling plans of travelling to the destinations.'Both the countries had become quite popular. The developments are going to impact bookings to the two countries and they should. Travel is my business, but people are right in thinking this way,' said Patil.'Today, the morale of the nation is so high and everyone is standing firmly with our armed forces. If in such a scenario, a country is supporting our enemy, it means they are going against us. I have asked a friend who was supposed to travel to Turkey on May 14 to hold off on her plans. It is unfortunate that these countries are siding with Pakistan and going against India,' he Bakaria, founder of Goa Villas, an online platform that showcases holiday rentals and alternative accommodation options in Goa and has 117 listed properties, said he has decided not to offer any accommodation to Turkish citizens. Bakaria, who is also the founder of Go Homestays and also offers travel packages, including flight bookings for overseas countries said he was officially ending his partnership with Turkish airlines due to their unsupportive stance towards India.'Pakistan has attacked India several times and most countries are supporting us. On the other hand, Turkey is openly supporting Pakistan. We stand with our country and have decided not to offer any accommodation to Turkish citizens in Goa,' he BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan was trending on X on Thursday evening with over 12,000 posts after reports stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye and Azerbaijan had issued separate statements in support of countries had gained considerable traction from India with better air connectivity, and marketing and promotions. Türkiye Tourism Board stated earlier this year that it welcomed 62.2 million global visitors last year and that the Indian market grew by 20.7%. 'This surge can be attributed to enhanced air connectivity between major Indian cities and Turkish destinations, growing popularity among Indian wedding planners and MICE organisers, and the introduction of specialised Turkish experiences catering to Indian preferences,' the Board had stated and added that 'strategic' marketing initiatives in the Indian market have also played a 'crucial' role in positioning Türkiye as a preferred destination for Indian per reports, in January this year, Azerbaijan saw a considerable increase in the number of Indian visitors, and doubled its number of Indian visitors to 243,000 last year. In January, over 17,000 Indian tourists visited Azerbaijan, the highest number recorded for that month compared to previous Indians call for boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan amid escalating tensions with Pakistan
