Indian travel sites suspend bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan

In the wake of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, EaseMyTrip has announced its decision to suspend all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan, citing these countries' perceived support for Pakistan.

Co-founder of the online travel platform, Prashant Pitti, stated in an interview with CNN-News18 that the past few days have seen a significant uptick in trip cancellations to these destinations.

Specifically, there has been a 22% cancellation rate for Turkey and over 30% for Azerbaijan, highlighting the impact of the ongoing geopolitical situation.

Pitti shared data indicating that last year, approximately 380,000 Indians traveled to either Turkey or Azerbaijan. Considering an average expenditure of 60,000 to 70,000 rupees per traveler, this translates to a spending of about 2,500 to 3,000 crore rupees by Indian tourists.

Pitti emphasized that it is crucial for Indian citizens to be mindful of where they allocate their travel funds, especially in response to these countries' support of Pakistan through arms supply.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO of Ixigo, has similarly declared the suspension of bookings for Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan on their platform. Bajpai's statement, "Enough is Enough! Blood and Bookings won’t flow together," underscores the growing sentiment in the Indian business community.

This move is part of broader actions taken by Indian businesses and political leaders to protest against countries perceived as supporting Pakistan after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. Turkey and Azerbaijan, in particular, are facing significant backlash in India, as these nations have chosen not to align with the global condemnation of the attack.