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Indian holidaymakers are cancelling trips to popular resorts in Turkey and Azerbaijan over reports the two countries sided with Pakistan during its recent conflict with New Delhi, according to booking firms.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a deadly attack in Indian Kashmir last month, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement, but heavy fighting erupted when India launched strikes on what it called “terrorist camps” inside Pakistan. A ceasefire agreement reached on Saturday has mostly held.
This political tension has now spilled over into the tourism sector, impacting holiday bookings in Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their support for Pakistan.
Turkey and Azerbaijan, popular budget holiday destinations for Indians, issued statements backing Islamabad after India’s strikes. “Bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60% (over the last week) while cancellations have surged by 250% during the same period,” a spokesperson for MakeMyTrip said.
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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) during his visit to Adampur Airforce Base in India’s state of Punjab on May 12 (Indian Press Information Bureau)
EaseMyTrip’s Chief Executive Officer, Rikant Pittie, said the platform had seen a 22% rise in cancellations for Turkey and 30% for Azerbaijan “due to recent geopolitical tensions”.
Travellers had switched to Georgia, Serbia, Greece, Thailand and Vietnam, he added. Another ticketing platform, ixigo, earlier said in a post on X that it would be suspending flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, Azerbaijan and China.
EaseMyTrip’s founder and chairman Nishant Pitti said in a post on X that 287,000 Indians visited Turkey last year and 243,000 visited Azerbaijan. “When these nations openly support Pakistan, should we fuel their tourism and their economies?” Pitti said.
It comes as a suspected militant on a motorcycle threw a hand grenade at participants of a pro-army rally in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least one person and wounding 10 others. Police and hospital officials said the attack happend on Wednesdat in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.
Local police chief Mohammad Malghani said about 150 people in cars and on motorcycles were heading to a hockey ground in the city for a government-organized event to celebrate the military’s recent retaliatory strikes inside India when the man threw a grenade at them.
Wasim Baig, a spokesman at the Civil Hospital, said at least two of those wounded were in critical condition.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group that has waged a years-long insurgency in the province.