Hard time for Turkey & Azerbaijan begin, suffer Rs 32000 crore UP boycotts tourism, trade over Pakistan support, read details

Turkey and Azerbaijan are now facing the consequences of backing Pakistan during recent conflicts with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack. Uttar Pradesh, which is India's largest state is now taking a firm stand against both countries. This tough stance not only includes restrictions on tourism but also includes huge trade. The step has already caused significant financial damage to the two nations by now.

The sector which has been hit the hardest is tourism. According to various travel experts, Turkey and Azerbaijan have by now suffered a total loss of around Rs 2,000 crore from UP alone. Every year, around 30,000 travel packages are booked for these two countries just from Uttar Pradesh. However, nearly 18,000 packages have already been cancelled after this decision of UP, and this number is expected to rise to 25,000 by August. Purvanchal, a region in eastern UP, has seen the highest number of cancellations, with over 15,000 tour bookings dropped. Travel agents in Purvanchal are now promoting domestic destinations instead.

According to a report by RV9, Ajay Singh who is the National Coordinator of the All India Tourist Federation recently said, that a "Nation First" campaign is being launched from Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. The campaign promotes Indian tourist destinations that offer similar beautiful views and charming experiences as Baku in Azerbaijan or even the Turkish hotspots but at much more affordable prices. To which the response has been very overwhelming as thousands of tourists have been opting for Indian alternatives in just a few days.

The situation is specifically more worrying for Azerbaijan, where tourism makes up around 15% of the country’s GDP, in which nearly 70% of the tourists are from India. With thousands cancelling their trips, experts suggest that the tourism industry in Azerbaijan may face a serious crisis.

Furthermore, it’s not just tourism but trade has also been affected. Owing to this in Kanpur’s Naveen Fruit Market, one of UP’s biggest, sellers have boycotted Turkish apples and other imports from Turkey and China. Similarly, spice traders have cancelled orders worth over Rs 150 crore. UP’s market for Turkish dry fruits, carpets, and spices, as well as Azerbaijan’s tea and ceramics, is estimated to be worth over Rs 1,000 crore.

Now, with growing public support for boycotting these countries, the financial impact is only expected to rise.