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Indians cancel trips to Turkey, Azerbaijan after countries back Pakistan: Report
Turkey and Azerbaijan had pledged support to Pakistan amid its conflict with India, leading to calls for boycotting the countries.
Indians have cancelled travel plans for Turkey and Azerbaijan in massive numbers, according to online booking platform EaseMyTrip's co-founder Prashant Pitti, reported ANI.
“For Turkey, we have seen cancellations of about 22 per cent, and for Azerbaijan, it is above 30 per cent. Last year, 3.8 lakh people travelled to either Azerbaijan or Turkey from India,” Pitti said.
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The downturn in travel plans comes days after EaseMyTrip suspended all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan amid the country' support for Pakistan while India was engaged in conflict with the country.
In addition to EaseMyTrip, Ixigo CEO Aloke Bajpai had also announced that the platform would suspend all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, China and Azerbaijan. “Enough is Enough! Blood and Bookings won’t flow together," he said.
MakeMyTrip also said it had witnessed a decline in bookings to the two nations by 60 per cent in the last one week while cancellations have jumped 250 per cent.
“Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60 per cent, while cancellations have surged by 250 per cent during the same period,” they said in a statement.
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Prashant Pitti stated that if one were to consider a modest 60,000-70,000 rupees per passenger spent, it equates to somewhere around 2,500 to 3,000 crores, spent by Indians in these countries.
“Now, this money will probably come back to us in the form of these countries choosing to give their arsenals, their weaponry to Pakistan and hitting back on them, which is why it is important for us Indians to know where to spend our money," he said.
Several traders have also boycotted goods coming from Turkey and Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan had issued statements after Operation Sindoor in support of Pakistan. Further, Turkish drones were also reportedly used by Pakistan's army to target India's military bases and civilian areas.
Co-founder Nishant Pitti took to X on Saturday and said, “Travel is a powerful tool. Let's not use it to empower those who don't stand with us. Last year: 287,000 Indians visited Turkey & 243,000 visited Azerbaijan Tourism drives their economies: Turkey: 12% of GDP | 10% of jobs Azerbaijan: 7.6% of GDP | 10% of jobs.”
"When these nations openly support Pakistan, should we fuel their tourism and their economies? Every rupee we spend abroad is a vote. Let's spend it where our values are respected. Jai Hind," he added.
