Indians' Fury Towards Two Muslim Countries Grows: Bookings Plummet 60%, Cancellations Skyrocket 250% Post 'Operation Sindoor'

New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Operation Sindoor in May 2025 and the subsequent escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan have directly impacted the tourism industries of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Both countries are facing significant resentment from Indian tourists due to their open support for Pakistan in this conflict. The growing boycott sentiment in India has led to a sharp decline in the number of Indian tourists visiting these countries.

According to data, the number of Indian tourists visiting Azerbaijan declined by a massive 56% between May and August 2025. During the same period, the decline for Turkey was 33.3%. This decline is significant because, before Operation Sindoor, both countries were becoming increasingly popular among Indian travelers. While 24.4 million Indians visited Azerbaijan in 2024, 33.1 million visited Turkey.

Soon after the tensions, major Indian travel companies like MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip also advised travelers to avoid traveling to Turkey and Azerbaijan. MakeMyTrip issued a statement on May 14, saying, "Indian travelers are deeply emotional about this issue. In the past week alone, Azerbaijan and Turkey have seen a 60% drop in bookings and a 250% increase in cancellations. We are pausing promotions and offers for these two destinations in solidarity with our armed forces."

The decline is stark. Azerbaijan has suffered the most from the boycott; from nearly 100,000 Indian tourists between May and August 2024, this number fell by a massive 56% to just 44,000 in the same period in 2025. The severity of the decline can be gauged from the month of August alone, where the number of tourists dropped from 21,137 in August 2024 to just 6,032 in August 2025.

Similarly, the number of Indian tourists visiting Turkey declined by 33.3% from 1.36 lakh in May-August 2024 to 90,400 in 2025. This tension has also affected the annual figures, with the first eight months of 2025 (January-August) seeing a 22% decline in total Indian visitors to Azerbaijan and a 21% decline in those to Turkey.

Clearly, Turkey and Azerbaijan are facing the consequences of standing up for Pakistan, not only diplomatically but also directly in the form of significant losses to their tourism industries. If this situation continues, this decline is likely to worsen in the coming months