'No accommodation services to Turkish in Goa': India backlash grows over Ankara’s support to Pak

Goa Villas, a prominent provider of luxury holiday rentals in Goa, became the second Indian travel business after Go Homestays to publicly announce it would no longer offer services to Turkish nationals. In a post on X, the company cited Turkey’s “non-cooperative stance in the current global scenario involving India and Pakistan” as the reason behind the decision, adding, “We stand firmly with our nation.”

Earlier, Go Homestays had announced that it was severing its partnership with Turkish Airlines. “We are officially ending our partnership with Turkish Airlines due to their unsupportive stance towards India. Going forward, we will no longer include their flights in our international travel packages. Jai Hind,” the company wrote on social media.

These business decisions come in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India’s military strike on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7, carried out in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 Indian tourists dead.

Following the strikes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reportedly spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, praising Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies” and offering diplomatic support—moves that triggered strong reactions across Indian social media platforms.

While there is no official government directive banning Turkish citizens from accessing Indian services or accommodation, some Indian homestays and travel providers have begun turning away Turkish nationals in protest. The refusals are private decisions and have emerged as part of broader boycott calls on social media platforms, where users have urged Indian businesses and travellers to cut ties with Turkish companies and tourism.

Indian law allows private property owners the discretion to accept or refuse service, though such actions—particularly those based on nationality—can raise legal and ethical questions.