Why is there 'Ban Turkey' campaign in India
What's the story
A boycott Turkey movement has gained momentum in India after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly supported Pakistan amidst soaring tensions between the two countries.
The Indian people are cutting off relations with Turkey in the tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors for its support of Pakistan, which has been firing missile, drone, and fighter plane attacks on India.
In a press briefing last week, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said the drones fired at Indian cities were Turkish Asisguard Songar drones.
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Erdogan's backing of Pakistan fuels Indian discontent
Furthermore, Erdogan has provided steadfast diplomatic support to Pakistan.
Following India's Operation Sindoor, Erdogan stated that Turkey "took a very clear stance" on "missile strikes targeting Pakistan."
He also expressed "open support" for "the brotherly people of Pakistan" and promised to stick by them in good times and bad.
Like Turkey, Azerbaijan also issued a statement backing Islamabad after India launched 'Operation Sindoor."
"We express condolences to the families of the innocent victims and wish a speedy recovery to those...injured."
Economic consequences
Boycott movement impacts tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors
Since then, three hashtags have been trending in India: #BoycottTurkey, #BoycottAzerbaijan, and #BoycottTurkeyAzerjbaijan.
Many leading tourism agencies have also cut off Turkey, which could impact its booming tourism and hospitality industry.
Indian tourists account for approximately 0.5% of all visitors to Turkey's $140 billion tourism industry. However, this group is one of the fastest-growing segments.
Travel restrictions
Major travel agencies halt bookings to Turkey
Top Indian travel agencies have suspended all bookings for Turkey.
Well-known names including EaseMyTrip, Cox & Kings, Travomint, ixigo, Goa Villas and Cleartrip are on the list.
Apart from the tourism industry, there are calls to boycott Turkish agricultural products such as apples.
Just last year, India imported Turkish apples worth about $92 million.
Numbers
22% cancellations to Turkey
Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, told CNN-News18 that the platform has seen a surge in travel cancellations for the two countries.
"For Turkey, we have seen cancellations of about 22 percent, and for Azerbaijan, it is above 30 percent. Last year, 3.8 lakh people traveled to either Azerbaijan or Turkey from India," he said.
Pitti explained that Indians' cancellation would result in a loss of ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 crores if, for example, a passenger is spending ₹60,000-70,000 in these countries.