Indian travellers and agents shun Turkey amid diplomatic row over support for Pakistan during recent military clashes
The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have dealt a severe blow to Turkey’s travel industry, with Indian outbound travellers and agents dramatically scaling back their bookings and plans to visit the country.
According to Sandeep Khetarpal, founder of travel marketplace Zotrav, there has been “a sharp decline in interest for Turkey as a travel destination, with nearly 80 per cent of bookings either cancelled or postponed”.
India was once among the top source markets for Turkey, with a 20.7 per cent year-on-year increase in Indian visitors in 2024 compared to 2023. However, the current scenario is quite different. “Since the recent Indo-Pakistan conflict, we have not received any new enquiries for Turkey and the outlook for the upcoming holiday season remains bleak,” Khetarpal said.
The downturn follows a deadly militant attack in Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley last month, which killed 26 tourists. India responded with airstrikes on militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, heightening tensions across the region.
Amid these developments, Turkey issued a statement expressing solidarity with Pakistan, triggering a strong backlash from the Indian travel trade community and outbound travellers.
“Sentiments of Indian travellers have been badly hurt due to Turkey’s support to Pakistan. There are some business trips still happening, but the leisure demand is almost zero. In the short run, we see demand impacted across all segments, whether leisure, MICE or weddings. Destinations like South-east Asia and Europe will benefit from the decline in demand for Turkey,” noted Aman Baweja, director of strategic alliances and partnerships at Travomint.
Aditya Tyagi, founder of Luxe Escape, highlighted the slowdown in overall outbound demand post the border skirmishes, but stressed that “our clients just do not want to visit Turkey at the moment”.
Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire last week, bringing a halt to hostilities.
