Turkish businesses under lens after country backs Pak in clash with India

Calls for a nationwide boycott of Turkish goods and tourism are gaining momentum in India following Turkiye’s vocal support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Several Indian travel and hospitality platforms have responded by suspending bookings to the country.   Reservations for destinations including Turkiye and Azerbaijan have dropped by 60 per cent over the past week, while cancellation rates have surged 250 per cent, according to the MakeMyTrip spokesperson.

 

The diplomatic strain emerges at a time when Turkiye has witnessed a significant rise in Indian tourist arrivals. From 55,000 Indian visitors in 2009, the number rose to 2,30,131 in 2019 and further climbed to 3,30,985 in 2024, marking a consistent upward trend.

 

 

While India maintains a merchandise trade surplus with Turkiye, the margin has narrowed over the past two years. Additionally, foreign direct investments (FDI) from Turkiye into India has declined since 2018, whereas Indian FDI into Turkiye has continued to grow in the same period.

 

Turkish businesses operating in India, such as Çelebi Airport Services and Turkish Technic, could face greater scrutiny. Çelebi currently operates at nine major Indian airports, which make for 25 per cent of its business. The firm manages over 58,000 flights and handles nearly 540,000 tonnes of cargo annually in India, employing around 7,800. 

 

Some Indian conglomerates, including Reliance Industries, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, the Jindal Group, Dabur, and Wipro, have operations and investments in Turkiye. According to the Reserve Bank of India data on overseas direct investments for April released on Wednesday, Indian entities — Omega Plasto, Rama Pure Water, and Axiro Semiconductor — have committed investments in Turkiye. 

 

(With inputs from Deepak Patel)