Indian Tourists Shun Turkey and Azerbaijan After Operation Sindoor, Travel to Both Nations Plummets

Turkey and Azerbaijan, two countries that openly supported Pakistan during its brief military confrontation with India following the Pahalgam terror attack, are facing a steep decline in Indian tourist arrivals after Operation Sindoor. Data reviewed by The Indian Express reveals a dramatic downturn — with Azerbaijan witnessing a 56% fall and Turkey a 33.3% drop in Indian visitors between May and August 2025.

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Backlash After Political Support for Pakistan

The sharp decline comes amid growing public anger in India over Ankara and Baku’s diplomatic posturing during the four-day standoff between India and Pakistan in May. Both nations had called for “restraint on all sides,” a stance seen in India as tacit support for Islamabad.

The reaction was swift: Indian social media campaigns urged travellers to boycott both countries, and the fallout soon reflected in the tourism industry — one of the major pillars of both Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s economies.

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Booking Cancellations Surge, Travel Portals Respond

According to The Indian Express, online travel platforms began noticing a wave of cancellations soon after Operation Sindoor. Major portals such as MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip advised customers against non-essential travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan, while Ixigo and Cox & Kings quietly suspended promotional deals and booking options for both destinations.

In a public statement on May 14, MakeMyTrip said,

“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey dropping by 60% and cancellations rising by 250%. Out of respect for our armed forces, we are discontinuing all promotions to these countries and advising against non-essential travel.”

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Azerbaijan Hit the Hardest

The Azerbaijan Tourism Board reported that while Indian arrivals surged 33% year-on-year between January and April 2025, they collapsed 56% in the May–August period.

• Visitors from India (May–August 2025): ~44,000

• Visitors from India (May–August 2024): ~100,000

India, once among Azerbaijan’s top five source markets, slipped to 11th place by August. Before the diplomatic fallout, Baku had positioned India as a “key target market” for its growing hospitality and events sector, even expanding direct flights between Mumbai, Delhi, and Baku.

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Tourism in Turkey Also Takes a Hit

Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism data paints a similar picture. Between May and August 2025, the number of Indian visitors fell by one-third, from 1.36 lakh to around 90,400.

For the full eight-month period (January–August 2025), Indian arrivals declined 21% year-on-year to 1.74 lakh, reversing the 28.5% growth recorded during the same period in 2024.

Despite Turkey’s deep cultural and historical appeal to Indian travellers — including Istanbul’s popularity as a Bollywood filming hub — the country’s perceived alignment with Pakistan has visibly hurt its image among Indian tourists.

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Broader Implications

Industry experts say this slump underscores the growing intersection of geopolitics and consumer sentiment. Indian travellers, particularly those active on social media, are increasingly aligning travel choices with nationalistic or ethical considerations.

A senior travel analyst told The Cliff News,

“Tourism today is not just about destinations — it’s about diplomacy. Countries that take positions against India during sensitive moments risk losing one of the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets.”