'Turkey begging Indians to come back': Netizens after Ankara 'appeal' to tourists goes viral, no official word yet

A letter allegedly by Turkey's department of tourism went viral on X (formerly Twitter). In this letter, Ankara addressed a boycott of Turkey by Indian tourists. Indian tourists have been boycotting Turkey due to its support for Pakistan amid the border tensions between India and Pakistan.

In its letter, the Turkish tourism department said that there is no reason for Indians to postpone or cancel any trips to the country and there are no restrictions or safety issues affecting Indians.  

Social media users are angry at Turkey over its request to Indian tourists not to cancel or postpone their trips to the country. Business Today could not independently verify the authenticity of this letter.

A user named Darshit Patel shared the letter and claimed in a post: "Turkey begging Indians to come back and travel."

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote in a post on X that Indians will not spend their money on tourism in a country that uses the same to arm Pakistan. 

"No Türkiye, Indians won’t come spending money on tourism in a country that uses the same to arm Pakistan. Look for your tourists elsewhere, our money ain’t blood money," Chaturvedi wrote. 

Commenting below Chaturvedi's post, a user wrote: "Now tourists will come from Pakistan with begging bowl. New trend (sic)." 

Sharing the letter, market advisor Darshan Mehta commented: "Already they are in panic." 

Kerala BJP president and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also shared the letter and wrote: "No thank you (sic)." 

Commenting under Chandrasekhar's post, a user wrote: "They make it sound as if we are avoiding Turkey because of any fear or as if we are feeling unwelcome. My fellow countrymen are rejecting your country and your support to terrorism." 

A social media user named Kapil said that any Indian YouTuber or influencer who is seen promoting Turkey as a tourism destination should either be ignored or boycotted. 

Meanwhile, Indian travel agencies EaseMyTrip and Cox & Kings have suspended all travel packages to Turkey and Azerbaijan due to these countries' support for Pakistan amid the India-Pakistan conflict. This decision highlights a broader trend of Indian companies aligning with national sentiment against perceived adversaries.