Is Turkey Facing a 10% Decline in Tourism as Flights to Istanbul Risk Going Empty?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- 10% decline in Turkish tourism from India.
- Public outrage over Turkey's support for Pakistan.
- BJP criticizes Congress for indecisiveness.
- Potential empty flights from India to Istanbul.
- Growing national sentiment against Turkey.
New Delhi, May 15 (NationPress) Amid a rising call for a 'Turkey boycott' in India, the Middle-Eastern nation is poised to experience significant repercussions, losing a substantial portion of its tourism revenue from this region, according to BJP spokesperson Gourav Vallabh on Thursday.
Vallabh informed IANS that tourism is a crucial pillar of the Turkish economy, which has already seen a 10 percent drop in visitors due to perceived betrayals against India, with forecasts indicating further declines to come.
He asserted, “No son and daughter of Bharat Mata will tolerate this backstabbing,” emphasizing that many will rally behind the 'Turkey boycott'.
“Currently, flights from New Delhi and Mumbai are still operational, but I assure you that very soon, these flights to Istanbul will be empty,” he remarked.
Notably, there has been escalating anger and resentment across India over Turkey's overt support for Pakistan amid the recent conflict, both in digital forums and through military means. The drones launched from the Pakistani side, which were intercepted by the Indian Army, were predominantly manufactured in Turkey.
The BJP leader also criticized the Congress party for its ‘indecisive stance’ regarding Turkey, expressing disappointment that they have not articulated a clear position despite public outrage against the Middle-Eastern nation.
He accused the long-standing party of appearing to align with Turkey. “Yesterday, when two Congress national spokespersons were asked about the national boycott of Turkey, they declined to comment. The whole nation is up in arms against Turkey for its overt support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, but they hesitated to respond,” Vallabh stated.
He referred to a press briefing involving Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, both prominent Congress figures, where they seemed hesitant to address a media query regarding Turkey.