Turkey And Azerbaijan Face Sharp Drop In Indian Tourist Numbers After Backing Pakistan During Operation Sindoor: Report

After Operation Sindoor and the subsequent tensions in May, India’s tourist inflow to Turkey and Azerbaijan has sharply declined.

According to official tourism data of both nations— which were vocal in their support for Pakistan— there has been a steep drop in visitors from India, Indian Express reported.

Azerbaijan witnessed the harsher impact, recording a 56 per cent fall in Indian tourist arrivals between May and August, while Turkey saw a 33.3 per cent decrease during the same period.

Both countries had seen rising Indian footfall in recent years, supported by expanding flight links and growing appeal as leisure destinations.

Istanbul’s position as a global transit hub further sustained steady travel volumes despite regional instability in West Asia.

However, their open support for Islamabad amid the May conflict triggered public backlash in India, sparking widespread calls to boycott travel to both countries.

By mid-May, major travel portals reported a visible dip in bookings and a spike in cancellations for Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Some agencies, including Ixigo and Cox & Kings, even halted listings while others discouraged Indian travellers from visiting the two nations.

Leading platforms like MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip advised customers to avoid non-essential trips to the two destinations following Operation Sindoor.

MakeMyTrip, in its 14 May statement, reported a 60 per cent fall in bookings and a 250 per cent surge in cancellations for Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Expressing solidarity with national sentiment, the company said it had withdrawn all promotions and offers to discourage tourism to these countries.

Azerbaijan tourism board's latest available data show that Indian arrivals grew 33 per cent in January–April but dropped nearly 56 per cent year-on-year in the next four months, reversing earlier gains.

From May to August, Indian visits to Azerbaijan fell to about 44,000—less than half of nearly 1 lakh in the corresponding four months of 2024.

Earlier in 2025, Indian arrivals in Azerbaijan had surged to 81,000 in January–April, up from 61,000 the previous year.

Overall, arrivals in the first eight months of 2025 declined 22 per cent year-on-year to 1.25 lakh.

Once a top-five source market, India slipped to eleventh place by August.

Only 6,032 Indians visited Azerbaijan that month—a 72 per cent drop from August 2024’s 21,137.

The fall contrasts sharply with Azerbaijan’s earlier growth, where Indian arrivals had jumped from 1.17 lakh in 2023 to 2.44 lakh in 2024.

Meanwhile, Turkey saw its Indian visitor count fall by a third—from 1.36 lakh to 90,400—between May and August.

Earlier, January–April numbers had remained stable at 83,300.

Over the first eight months of 2025, arrivals fell 21 per cent year-on-year to 1.74 lakh, reversing last year’s 28.5 per cent surge.

Turkey had recorded steady growth in earlier years—3.31 lakh Indian tourists in 2024, up 21 per cent from 2.74 lakh in 2023 and 2.32 lakh in 2022—before the post-Operation Sindoor dip disrupted the trend.

DGCA data indicate 5.05 lakh passengers flew directly from India to Turkey in 2024—a 15 per cent rise from 2023—many using Istanbul as a transit hub for onward international connections.

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