New Delhi: Hundreds of Indian tourists are now cancelling their trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan as these countries supported Pakistan in the conflict with India following the massacre of 26 tourists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam by Islamabad-backed terrorists.
Leading online travel booking platforms MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip have reported mass cancellations and a sharp drop in Indian tourists wanting to travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their anti-India stand during Operation Sindoor.
EaseMyTrip founder and former chairman Nishant Pitti said that the company’s portal has seen a 22 per cent cancellation of trips by tourists to Turkey and more than 30 per cent cancellations to Azerbaijan. He urged travellers to avoid visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their open support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
The boycott by Indian tourists is expected to have a significant impact on the economies of the two countries.
As per the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, as many as 243,589 Indian tourists visited the country in 2024. The tourism board expects a growth of 11 per cent from now until the next 10 years. Turkey saw Indian arrivals at 3,30,000 passengers in 2024, while the number stood at 119,503 in 2014 as per the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.
The estimated spend per Indian tourist in Turkey is $1,200–1,500, with the total estimated Indian tourist spend in Turkey in 2023 working out to $350–400 million (approximately Rs 3,000 crore).
India killed 2 Turkish military operatives: ReportNew Delhi: Two Turkish military operatives have been killed by India during Operation Sindoor, according to reports. It is learnt that Turkey not only helped Pakistan in its war against India with over 350 drones, but also with operators. “Turkish advisors helped Pakistani Army officials coordinate drone attacks in India after Operation Sindoor,” sources said. The defence sources have pointed out that Pakistan used Bayraktar TB2 and YIHA drones against India. “The drones are believed to be used for target identification and possibly for kamikaze attacks, especially to threaten advanced Indian positions or supply convoys,” sources said. Over the years, Pakistan has developed a close military-to-military relationship with Turkey. |
