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Amid a call to “boycott” travel to Türkiye and Azerbaijan, tour aggregators reported widespread cancellations in holiday bookings to both these countries from India. In response to their “support” for Pakistan, “boycott” calls swept social media after Operation Sindoor was carried out.

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Tour aggregator MakeMyTrip said cancellations in bookings to Türkiye and Azerbaijan jumped by 250%. EaseMyTrip reported a 22% increase in cancellations for Türkiye, and 30% for Azerbaijan.

“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Türkiye decreasing by 60%, while cancellations have surged by 250% during the same period,” a MakeMyTrip spokesperson said.

“In solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Türkiye. We have already discontinued promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations,” he said.

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“There is a preference shift when it comes to choosing a destination. Bookings to impacted areas have halted due to post-ceasefire uncertainties, while unaffected airports and regions maintain normal operations without major disruptions,” Rikant Pittie, CEO and co-founder, EaseMyTrip, said.

“At EaseMyTrip, we maintain cautious optimism while prioritising traveller safety. We encourage all customers to only refer to reliable information sources, and exercise prudence when making international travel plans. We are currently advising against non-essential travel to affected regions, and have released a formal travel advisory,” Mr. Pittie said.

“Recent geopolitical tensions are substantially affecting travel patterns, with travellers increasingly choosing other destinations, including Georgia, Serbia, Greece, Thailand, and Vietnam,” he said.

Travel company Cox and Kings had on May 9 issued a statement on its decision to temporarily pause all new travel offerings to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Türkiye.

“This decision is driven by our commitment to uphold principles that matter deeply to us and the people of our country. 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,” Karan Agarwal, director, Cox & Kings, had said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh- (RSS) affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Wednesday urged the government to impose economic sanctions, suspend civil aviation links, discourage outbound tourism, and re-evaluate diplomatic engagements with Türkiye due to its “unholy alliance” with Pakistan, which directly compromises India’s security.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch urged Indians to avoid travel to Türkiye, and also boycott its products “in solidarity with the country’s soldiers, and in national interest”.