 "Why growing boycott calls in India is bad news for Turkey's economy")
The calls to boycott Turkey in India are getting stronger.
This comes after Ankara backed Islamabad during India’s Operation Sindoor – which struck at terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Turkey not only came out in support of Pakistan, it also reportedly sent it 350 UAVs as well as drone operators to help Islamabad figure out how to use them.
Indian social media has been rife with trends like #BoycottTurkey over the past few days.
Indians tourists have been cancelling their plans to visit Turkey in droves.
Now, businesses are getting in on the act too.
The development came as India blocked the X account of Turkey’s state-run TRT World outlet.
But what happened? Why is this bad news for Turkey’s economy?
Let’s take a closer look:
Turkey backs Pakistan with words and weapons
After India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Turkey backed Pakistan by criticising the strikes.
As per Deccan Herald, Turkish President Recep Tayyip called up Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to offer support.
Erdogan praised Pakistan’s ‘calm and restrained policies’ and called Islamabad’s demand into the Pahalgam attack ‘appropriate.’
This came after Turkey’s foreign minister claimed India was risking ‘all-out war.’
But Turkey’s action wasn’t limited to words.
Sources told Business Today that Turkey played a direct part in the conflict.
Ankara sent Islamabad around 350 drones as well as military advisors on how to use them against New Delhi.
Pakistan reportedly used around 350 Turkish-origin Byker YIHA III drones and Songar loitering munitions to attack locations in India on the intervening night of May 8 and 9 – which were shot down by India’s air defence systems.
“Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones, " Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was quoted as saying at a press briefing by India Today.
“The Indian armed forces shot down many of these dones using kinetic and non-kinetic means. The possible purpose of such large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and collect intelligence,” Colonel Qureshi added.
Sources said India had killed two drone operators from Turkey during Operation Sindoor.
“This will not be disclosed by Pakistan,” sources added.
Boycott calls gain steam
The boycott calls initially began on social media.
Users urged citizens to boycott Turkish products and the country as a tourist destination.
Among those who added their voices to the growing call was billionaire Harsh Goenka.
“Indians gave Rs 4,000+cr to Turkey & Azerbaijan last year through tourism. Created jobs. Boosted their economy, hotels, weddings, flights. Today, both stand with Pakistan after Pahalgam attack. Plenty of beautiful places in India & the world. Please skip these 2 places. Jai Hind,” Goenka wrote on X.
Some Indians travellers seem to be heeding the call.
As per NDTV Profit, hundreds of travellers have cancelled trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan.
“We’ve seen 22 per cent cancellations to Turkey,” EaseMyTrip chairman Nishant Patti told the outlet.
“Our members have noticed roughly about 15-20% cancellations in the last few days for outbound travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan,” Ravi Gosain, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators added. “Clearly, nationalistic sentiments are running high, and because both of these countries are perceived to support Pakistan, many people are cancelling their plans to visit them.”
But it isn’t just travellers.
As per NDTV, Indian traders are boycotting Turkish marble and Turkish apples.
As per ANI, India’s marble hub of Udaipur has called on a ban of imports from Turkey.
“We have written to the Prime Minister, asking for a ban on Turkish marble. Business cannot be bigger than the nation,” Kapil Surana, President of the Udaipur Marble Processors Association told the outlet.
According to the outlet, Turkey is India’s biggest supplier of marble.
India gets nearly 70 per cent of its imported marble – 14 to 18 lakh tonnes worth Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 3,000 crore – from Turkey.
“We are sending a clear message to the world: India will not tolerate any nation that backs terrorism,” Hitesh Patel, general secretary of the Udaipur marble association told the outlet.
Pune traders have started boycotting apples imported from Turkey.
Traders are now stocking apples from the US, Iran, New Zealand and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“In Pune, Turkish apples used to bring in seasonal revenue of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 crore. But now, there’s zero demand,” Suyog Zende, a trader at Pune’s APMC market. “It’s not just trade, it’s about patriotism,” he added.
“We have decided to stop purchasing apples from Turkey and are instead opting for produce from Himachal, Uttarakhand, Iran, and other regions. This decision aligns with our patriotic duty and support for the nation."
Indian travel companies too joined the fray.
While EaseMyTrip asked travellers to avoid visiting the country unless it is absolutely essential, Cox&Kings and Ixigo suspended bookings to Turkey.
A MakeMyTrip spokesperson said, “Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60 per cent, while cancellations have surged by 250 per cent during the same period.”
“In solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise all against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We have already discontinued all promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations.”
“Respecting the sentiments shared by all Indians at this time, we have suspended all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. Our commitment is to act responsibly and in alignment with our country’s broader interests, while prioritising the trust, safety, and interests of Indian travellers. Blood and bookings won’t flow together," Aloke Bajpai, CEO of Ixigo, told ThePrint.
Other users highlighted how India had launched Operation Dost in February 2023 after an earthquake ravaged Turkey – only for Ankara to stab New Delhi in the back during its time of need.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday said has cancelled a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turkey’s Inonu University.
JNU, in a post on X, wrote, “Due to National Security considerations, the MoU between JNU and Inonu University, Türkiye stands suspended until further notice. JNU stands with the Nation.”
India-Turkey relationship and tourism
As per NDTV, there are around 3,000 estimated Indian nationals in Turkey including 200 students.
India’s exports to Turkey stood at $5.2 billion during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against $6.65 billion in 2023-24.
It accounts for only about 1.5 per cent of India’s total exports of $437 billion.
India’s imports from Turkey stood at $2.84 billion during Apr-Feb 2024-25 as against $3.78 billion in 2023-24.
It comprises 0.5 per cent of India’s total imports of $720 billion.
India’s exports to Turkey include mineral fuels and oil ($960 million in 2023-24); electrical machinery and equipment; auto and its parts; organic chemicals; pharma products; tanning and dyeing items; plastic, rubber; cotton; man-made fibres and filaments, iron and steel.
India imports different types of marbles (blocks and slabs), fresh apples (about $10 million), gold, vegetables, lime and cement; mineral oil ($1.81 billion in 2023-24); chemicals; natural or cultured pearls; iron and steel from Turkey.
Turkey has been among the most popular destinations for Indians.
The ease of getting a visa, multiple Indian direct flights and Indian hotel chains in Istanbul all make Turkey an attractive destination for Indians
Turkey last year saw a record 3.31 lakh visitors from India – a sea-change from 2009, when just 55,000 Indians visited.
Turkey in 2024 received 2.74 lakh Indian tourists – a 20 per cent rise from 2022 when 2.31 lakh tourists visited.
As per CNBC, India through tourism filled Turkey’s coffers to the tune of almost Rs 3,000 crore last year.
India has also put in $227 million into Turkey through foreign direct investment.
“Indian investment in Turkiye stood at around $200 million for the period August 2000 to March 2024,” DPIIT officials told CNBC TV18.
The boycott comes even as Turkey’s economy has been on shaky ground for a while.
In short, an Indian boycott could be bad news for Turkey’s economy.
But this hasn’t stopped Erdogan from vowing that he will continue to support the “brotherly people of Pakistan.”
“While openly declaring our support for the brotherly people of Pakistan, we also made intense efforts to de-escalate the tension, which had risen to very dangerous levels,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Business Today.
Erdogan further praised Pakistanis “their patient, sensible and moderate attitude.”
Erdogan added, “I hope that the calm environment provided by the ceasefire will facilitate the resolution of all other problems, especially the water issue.”
Following Erdogan’s comments, Sharif took to social media to praise his ‘precious brother.’
It remains to be seen if this boycott causes Erdogan to change his tune.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
