'Will see how we can...': India may discourage tourists, weddings, film shoots in Turkey, Azerbaijan

Visits by Indian tourists, destination weddings, and film shoots in Turkiye and Azerbaijan may significantly decline in the coming weeks, with the Indian government likely to discourage travel and events in both countries, sources told news agency PTI. The move comes amid growing backlash over the two nations' support for Pakistan during its recent conflict with India.

Both Turkiye and Azerbaijan had publicly backed Islamabad and condemned India's strikes on terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor. Notably, Turkish drones were used extensively by Pakistan during the four-day escalation.

New Delhi is actively reviewing travel trends and may discourage Indian tourists from visiting the two nations, which together hosted over five lakh Indian travellers in 2023, sources said. “A large number of Indian tourists visit both Turkiye and Azerbaijan every year, bringing in a sizeable amount of revenue. There is active consideration in the government to discourage Indians from visiting the two countries.” 

High-end Indian destination weddings, particularly those hosted by affluent families and NRIs in scenic international locations, are also in focus. “Indians spend crores of rupees on destination weddings, giving very good revenue to the two countries. We will see how we can slow down the hosting of such events by the Indians in Turkiye and Azerbaijan which supported Pakistan against India,” the source was quoted as saying by PTI.

Adding to the cultural fallout, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) have urged film producers to boycott Turkiye as a shooting location. The officials said that from the government side also, there will be no support to film-makers shooting films in Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

India's trade with both countries is already under scrutiny. In FY 2024–25 (April–February), exports to Turkiye stood at USD 5.2 billion, and to Azerbaijan at USD 86.07 million. Imports from Turkiye were USD 2.84 billion, while those from Azerbaijan touched USD 1.93 million—mostly crude oil and animal products.

Amid this diplomatic chill, India on Thursday revoked security clearance for Çelebi Airport Services, a Turkish firm that manages ground operations at major Indian airports including Delhi and Mumbai. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked its clearance “in the interest of national security,” noting Çelebi’s access to sensitive zones in nine Indian airports.

As sentiment hardens against Turkish entities, universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia have already suspended collaborations with institutions in Turkiye. Travel platforms such as ixigo have halted bookings to Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and China. Both MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip reported sharp drops in bookings to the region—up to 60% decline and 250% rise in cancellations in just one week.

(With inputs from PTI)