42 pc drop in visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan from India: Report

New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) In the wake of recent geopolitical developments that shifted Indian traveller sentiment dramatically, there has been a sharp 42 per cent decline in visa applications to Turkey and Azerbaijan, a report said on Tuesday.

As both countries publicly expressed support for Pakistan, Indian travellers responded swiftly.

Within just 36 hours, the number of users exiting the visa application process midway surged by 60 per cent, according to data provided by Atlys, a visa processing platform.

“The reaction wasn’t scattered; it was sharp and behavioural. People didn’t need to be told to avoid certain destinations. They simply moved on, guided by instinct, information, and access to alternatives. That’s what modern travel looks like,” said Mohak Nahta, Founder and CEO of Atlys.

In the same spirit, “we also paused all marketing efforts for Turkey and Azerbaijan, standing by India and in solidarity with national sentiment,” he added.

Travellers from metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai showed a 53 per cent drop in Turkey-bound applications, while interest from tier 2 cities such as Indore and Jaipur remained more resilient, falling by only 20 per cent.

There was also a shift in the kind of travellers rethinking their plans.

Group visa requests, including family trips, fell by nearly 49 per cent, while solo and couple applications declined more gradually at 27 per cent.

This suggests that larger group travellers, often planning further in advance and more sensitive to political sentiment, reacted more decisively than individual travellers.

Atlys data also revealed early signals around age and intent. Travellers aged 25 to 34 were the most likely to change course quickly, accounting for over 70 per cent of mid-process application drop-offs for Turkey.

Interestingly, women travellers were more likely to switch destinations entirely, with a 2.3 times higher tendency to reinitiate applications for Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, or Thailand.

As Turkey and Azerbaijan lost favour, alternate destinations surged in popularity. In the subsequent days, applications to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Egypt rose by up to 31 per cent, the data showed.

--IANS

na/