The impact of the boycott campaign started on social media against Turkey and Azerbaijan is now visible in the travel sector. There has been a 60% drop in bookings of these countries on MakeMyTrip and a 250% increase in cancellations.
Many travelers who had booked trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan are now cancelling their travel plans. Actually, both these countries had supported Pakistan during the India-Pakistan tension after Operation Sindoor. Last week, a boycott trend started against both the countries on social media. The impact of this boycott campaign is now clearly visible on the major travel booking sites of the country.
India's largest online travel booking company MakeMyTrip (MMT) said in a statement issued on May 14 that bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan have declined by 60% in the last seven days. At the same time, cancellations have seen a jump of 250%.
What did MakeMyTrip say?
MakeMyTrip said, "Indian travelers have shown strong resentment against Turkey and Azerbaijan since last week. We support this sentiment with respect for the country and our armed forces. We have stopped all promotional campaigns and discount offers for Turkey and Azerbaijan."
Although MMT has not completely stopped booking flights to these two countries, the company has advised passengers to avoid non-essential travel to these countries.
EaseMyTrip also took action
On the other hand, EaseMyTrip co-founder Nishant Pitti had also appealed to avoid traveling to Turkey and Azerbaijan on May 9. Since then, 22% of bookings for Turkey and 30% for Azerbaijan have been cancelled on the platform.
Pitti said in a social media post that national interest should be kept above personal gain. He also raised the question that when celebrities promote Chinese products and websites, then the general public should also choose their options thoughtfully.
EaseMyTrip clarified that it is not canceling existing bookings so that those passengers who are using Turkey only as a transit point do not face inconvenience.
India is a big market for Turkey, Azerbaijan
In the last few years, Turkey and Azerbaijan have emerged as important tourist spots for Indian tourists. In 2014, only 4,853 Indians went to Azerbaijan from India. Whereas in 2024, this number increased to 2.43 lakh. The number of Indian travelers in Turkey also tripled during this period. The number of Indian tourists in 2014 was 1.19 lakh, which reached 3.3 lakh in 2024.
The number of direct and one-stop flights between India and these two countries is also very high. There are about 13,000 seats per week between India and Turkey. At the same time, this number is 3,000 between India-Azerbaijan.
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