Pak allies shunned: Citizens cancel trips to Turkey, Azerbaijan despite big losses

Nagpur: Senior advocate SK Mishra had planned a trip to Azerbaijan with his family. The entire group, which included three families, unanimously decided to cancel the tour despite the financial losses. "This is the least we can do for the country. We are not soldiers to go on the front, but at least we can boycott the nation which supports Pakistan," he told TOI.Mishra is among the numerous vacationers who cancelled their trips to Turkey or Azerbaijan, even taking a financial hit due to last-minute cancellations, said tour operators in the city. Many have preferred not to visit the places due to the rising sentiments against these countries following Operation Sindoor.This was also reflected by the sudden price drop in the airfares for both, the Turkish capital of Istanbul, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. A quick search on the internet showed that return tickets from Delhi to Istanbul for a trip between the last week of May to the first week of June were in the range of Rs40,000 to 41,000. Travel agents say that at such short notice, the tickets should have been at least Rs10,000 costlier. However, the rates were comparably higher for Azerbaijan. Tickets for Baku for the same period cost around Rs75,000 per person.Irshad Mehdi of Ideal Travels, a management committee member of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said it's not just the Mishra family, there are others too cancelling their trips. Azerbaijan and Turkey have been the favourite destinations for many in the city. It is taken as an alternative to Europe. However, families who have cancelled at this juncture stand to lose as much as Rs60,000 per person. However, this has not deterred them, said Mehdi.Raju Akolkar, president of TAAI's Nagpur chapter, said according to initial estimates, as many as 50% of the tour packages to Turkey have been cancelled in the country. Last year, as many as 3.30 lakh travellers went to Turkey. Imagine the losses if the bookings are halved this year, he said. Akolkar also confirmed that there was a price drop in airfares.Nagpur: Senior advocate SK Mishra had planned a trip to Azerbaijan with his family. The entire group, which included three families, unanimously decided to cancel the tour despite the financial losses. "This is the least we can do for the country. We are not soldiers to go on the front, but at least we can boycott the nation which supports Pakistan," he told TOI.Mishra is among the numerous vacationers who cancelled their trips to Turkey or Azerbaijan, even taking a financial hit due to last-minute cancellations, said tour operators in the city. Many have preferred not to visit the places due to the rising sentiments against these countries following Operation Sindoor.This was also reflected by the sudden price drop in the airfares for both, the Turkish capital of Istanbul, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. A quick search on the internet showed that return tickets from Delhi to Istanbul for a trip between the last week of May to the first week of June were in the range of Rs40,000 to 41,000. Travel agents say that at such short notice, the tickets should have been at least Rs10,000 costlier. However, the rates were comparably higher for Azerbaijan. Tickets for Baku for the same period cost around Rs75,000 per person.Irshad Mehdi of Ideal Travels, a management committee member of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said it's not just the Mishra family, there are others too cancelling their trips. Azerbaijan and Turkey have been the favourite destinations for many in the city. It is taken as an alternative to Europe. However, families who have cancelled at this juncture stand to lose as much as Rs60,000 per person. However, this has not deterred them, said Mehdi.Raju Akolkar, president of TAAI's Nagpur chapter, said according to initial estimates, as many as 50% of the tour packages to Turkey have been cancelled in the country. Last year, as many as 3.30 lakh travellers went to Turkey. Imagine the losses if the bookings are halved this year, he said. Akolkar also confirmed that there was a price drop in airfares.