New Delhi: Indian GlobeTrores are missing Turkey after the latter stable support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The data from the Ministry of Turkish Tourism shows that Indian tourists declined by 37% in this June, which had increased from 38,307 to 24,250 in the same month last year. And the decline in the same month of last year in May 2025 was 24%. In Jan-June 2025, around 1.4 lakh Indian tourists visited Turkey, which was below 1.6 lakhs from 1.6 lakhs in the same period last year.The decline comes after a continuous year-on-year increase in the 5% -7% range in the early months from 2024 to February 2025. On the overall basis, Indian tourists gave less than 1%-1% of all international arrival in Türkiye. However, big banners Bollywood films are being shot there and Kovid was posted, there was a steady increase in the number.But during the open support for Operation Sindoor and President Erdogan with Pakistan with Pakistan, it quickly replaced things with Turkish-made drone firing in the border areas of India. Many big tour operators in India stopped selling packages to Türkiye and Azerbaijan, keeping in mind the public sentiment here.“As a destination, Turkey has fallen from the Indian travelers’ bucket list. Soon after Operation Sindoor we also saw a decline in demand for traveling by Turkish airlines. Now a little is raised through Istanbul. Going to the country, going to the country,” said a major travel agent in Delhi.Azerbaijan has also fallen from good books of Indian travelers. A tour operator said, “We have raised Georgia instead.” Something similar may happen with Türkiye next year when direct flights between India and Greece begin. “We have seen an increase in inquiry for Greece. But going there means taking a one-stop flight from India in the absence of nonstops. It will change next year,” said an official of a big online tour operator.The current bilateral carrier (Indigo is the same operated) and Turkish Airlines (TA) allow a daily flight between Istanbul and Delhi by each. And many flights between Istanbul and Mumbai. In search of more traffic than India, Turkey had for the last few years unsuccessfully demanded amendment of bilateral.Relations were closed after Operation Sindoor with India. In mid -May, India canceled the security approval “in the interest of national security” to Celebi Airport Services India Private Limited in Turkey. The company was asked to stop its operations at nine Indian airports. The government also asked IndiGo to air its wet lease of two Turkish Airlines wide body Boeing 777 by 31 August. IndiGo demanded its continuous use by 30 November, 2025.
