Tremendous, largely untapped potential in India-Turkiye ties

ALMOST A year after he took over as Turkiye’s Ambassador to India, steering bilateral ties through the most difficult phase in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, where Ankara was seen to be siding with Islamabad, leading to a boycott In 2024, over 3.3 lakh Indian tourists visited Turkiye. Between January and May 2025, about 1.15 lakh Indians visited the country, recording a normal growth.

However, the arrivals dropped sharply after that due to a sudden rise in geopolitical tensions and citizen-led travel boycott. In the entire year, Turkiye recorded a little over 2 lakh Indian tourists. Ersoy says arrivals are gradually increasing and momentum continues to build.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

Edited excerpts: How much of the lost ground has been recovered after the boycott of 2025? What measures were taken? We took this moment seriously and responded with concrete action.

We intensified direct engagement with the Indian travel trade. We also invested in transparent, direct communication with Indian media to ensure the strength of the India-Turkiye relationship — at the people-to-people level — was not lost in a moment of geopolitical noise.

The relationship between Turkiye and Indian travellers has always been built on genuine warmth and mutual respect, and we are encouraged Arrivals from India have been gradually increasing and reached almost 120,000 between January and August this year.

Early indicators for the second half of the year suggest that momentum continues to build. We understand that trust, once affected, has to be rebuilt with consistency, not just messaging. We believe the results are beginning to speak for themselves.

Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

Has the thaw in ties — especially the resumption of foreign office consultations — helped other sectors, such as tourism? Is there any thought on protecting tourism from future disruptions? Tourism, That stated, we don't take this resilience for granted.

Going forward, our approach is to build a tourism relationship that is diversified and deeply rooted — not dependent on any single narrative or news cycle. That means continuing to invest in direct relationships with Indian travel trade, media and travellers themselves, so that the perception of Turkiye is shaped We also believe that consistent, transparent communication — of the kind we're having in this very conversation — plays an important role in insulating the relationship from short-term disruptions.

What are the key pillars of India-Turkiye ties in the present context? Tourism is one of the most visible pillars, but it sits alongside a broader relationship spanning trade, defence-adjacent cooperation in some areas, education and cultural exchange.

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Bilateral trade between our two countries continues to grow, and we see increasing interest from Turkish businesses in sectors such as building work, textiles and infrastructure, alongside growing Indian investment interest in Turkiye.

Educational and cultural exchange also remains an important pillar — from academic partnerships to the popularity of Turkish content and culture among Indian audiences, and vice versa. Our belief is that a multi-dimensional relationship is a stronger one, and tourism plays a valuable role in keeping that human connection alive even as other pillars evolve.

Turkiye visa cost is among the highest, even surpassing EU and US visas. Is there any thought on easing or slashing the visa fee? We recognise that visa cost and ease of process are genuine considerations for Indian travellers, and this is a topic we take seriously in our ongoing conversations with the relevant Turkish authorities.

While visa policy sits outside the direct mandate of the tourism promotion bodies, we continually relay market feedback — including on cost sensitivity — as part of our broader effort to make Turkiye more accessible to Indian visitors. Turkiye offers a relatively efficient e-visa process for eligible Indian travellers, and our focus remains on ensuring speed, convenience and reliability.

Any changes to the visa fee structures would be a decision for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the strength and priority of the Indian market is very much part of that conversation. What are the new destinations being promoted for the Indian market?

Beyond Bodrum, İzmir and Antalya's cultural hinterland — which we've spoken about as emerging favourites — we are also building visibility for destinations like Gaziantep for gastronomy tourism, Mardin for heritage and architecture, Trabzon and the Black Sea region for nature and highland tourism.

Our approach is to introduce these destinations gradually… so travellers have both the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of discovery in a single trip. What are you looking forward to build upon during your tenure here?

India is a country I have enormous respect for, and I see tremendous, largely untapped potential in the India-Turkiye relationship across every pillar we've discussed.

During my tenure, I want to focus on deepening trust — through consistency, transparency and sustained engagement rather than moments of high visibility alone. Ultimately, I want my time here to leave the relationship stronger, broader and more resilient than I found it.