Operation Sindoor Fallout: India Boycotts Turkey And Azerbaijan Over Pro-Pakistan Stand; Travel Bookings Plunge, Trade And Academic Ties Cut

Mumbai: While the Indian armed forces launched an offensive strike against terrorism through Operation Sindoor, the common Indians have launched a follow-up operation to boycott the supporters of terrorism. India’s boycott call against Turkey has proved to be a serious concern for the Eurasian country as Indians stand united against Turkish companies, goods, airlines and services.

Countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan and China have been facing the heat from Indians as it expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir to avenge the killings of 26 tourists in a terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Soon after they announced their support to Pakistan, Indians have been calling for a boycott against these countries, especially Turkey and its tourism.

According to the data shared by Turkey’s Consul General in Mumbai Mustafa Kemalettin Eruygur with The Free Press Journal, Turkey’s tourism recorded a growth of around 8.5% in 2024 with 62 million tourists, contributing a revenue of USD 61 billion.

These figures included 3.6 lakh Indians who visited the country in 2024, which was a significant increase from the 2023 figure of 2.70 lakh. According to reports, a total of 5.8 lakh Indians visited Turkey and Azerbaijan in 2024.

Vishwajeet Patil, president of Maharashtra Tour Operators Association (MTOA) said that around 80% of bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan have been cancelled after the India-Pakistan tensions escalated. “Most of the people are cancelling their trips to these countries. The few who are not cancelling is also largely due to the unaffordable cancellation charges levied by the airlines and hotels,” he said, adding that MTOA has been suggesting its members to not promote tours to both these countries.

Sameer Karnani, national management committee member of the Travel Agents Association of India’s (TAAI), said that there are no new queries for these country. “There is a sense of nationalism among people and therefore they don’t want to travel to these destinations. Moreover, the agents are also not promoting them,” he said.

While Azerbaijan was becoming popular very soon due to its affordable tour packages, tour operators and travel booking companies are now recording the tourist flow shifting to other places in Central Asia like Tashkent, Georgia and Almaty. Tour operators say that South Africa is an emerging market in the same budget as Turkey while those who can afford a slightly expensive destination are opting for Japan.

According to MakeMyTrip, bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan have dropped by 60%, while cancellations have gone up by 250% in the past week. The company said, “In solidarity with our nation, we have discontinued all promotions and offers for travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey.” Another travel bookings platform ClearTrip also recorded 260% jump in cancellations.

Soon after a boycott call was given, multiple Indian tours and travel companies stepped in to terminate their associations with Turkish Airlines and hospitality businesses. Renowned online travel manager Ixigo on May 10 announced suspending hotel and flight bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan and China. The company’s managing director Aloke Bajpai said, “Enough is enough! Blood and bookings won’t flow together.”

Multiple travel booking platforms also joined the cause and announced the suspension of travel packages to these countries. Go Homestays terminated its partnership with Turkish Airlines due to its unsupportive stance towards India. “We will no longer include their flights in our international travel packages,” the company said. While companies like Cox and Kings and Travomint have suspended all bookings to Turkey, other platforms are also recording higher cancellations and drop in bookings to tourist destinations in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The Free Press Journal contacted the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and Turkish Airlines for the figures of cancellations. While the Turkey Tourism Board denied commenting on the issue, Turkish Airlines did not respond to the query.

The consequences were far-reaching and they even engulfed the aviation sector. The Bureau of Civil Aviation on May 15 revoked the security clearance of the Turkish ground handling services company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd. citing national security interest after Shiv Sena demanded its termination. Various airport operators also followed and announced breaking ties with the Turkish company. Shiv Sena also urged people to boycott Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s flag carrier.

Turkish Airline is also expected to suffer a massive blow in the upcoming months as bookings from India are said to have dropped down significantly. “Just like tour packages for Turkey, the Turkish Airlines is also facing the same issue of not getting new bookings. The bookings made before the conflict are not being cancelled but the drop in new bookings is going to give a big hit to the airline,” said Karnani.

According to the data available, India’s exports to Turkey stood USD 5.2 billion from April 2024 to February 2025 against USD 6.65 billion in 2023.24. While the imports during the same period were accounted to be at USD 2.84 billion against USD 3.78 billion in 2023-24. The boycott is expected to burn a deep hole in Turkey’s pocket as Indians are also boycotting all types of trades with Turkey. Experts have projected massive fall in imports from Turkey after the boycott call.

Unions of traders have also called for a complete boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan. On Friday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) called for a ban on import and export with these countries. Indian e-commerce platforms have also halted sales of apparel from Turkish brands. Turkish apparel brands have gone out of stock on Flipkart-owned Myntra and Reliance-owned Ajio as both platforms have said that they are “reassessing their partnerships.”

The All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council, the apex body representing India’s domestic gem and jewellery industry, urged the Indian industry to cease business transactions with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Fruit traders in Maharashtra and across the country have also stepped up and refused to sell Turkish apples, which were imported worth USD 92.8 million in 2023, according to reports.

Educational institutions have also stepped up to play their role in the boycott call. Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia announced the suspension of all its academic collaborations with Turkey. This was also followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) which cancelled its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Turkey’s Inonu University. Hyderabad’s Maulana Azad National Urdu University also scrapped an MoU with Turkey’s Yunus Emre Institute. Private institutions like Lovely Professional University also followed the drill.

The entertainment industry has also stepped up as film industry bodies like the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) and All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) announced boycotting Turkish locations for shooting purposes. Singer Vishal Mishra announced that he will never hold any music concerts in Turkey and Azerbaijan.