India issues advisory against travel to Turkey

The government has issued an advisory to Indian citizens to exercise utmost caution while visiting Turkey. 

The advisory was issued by the Indian embassy in Ankara on Tuesday against the backdrop of strained India-Turkey relations and Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish rebels in Syria. 

“The Government of India has been receiving queries from Indian nationals on travelling to Turkey in view of the situation in the region. Although there have been no reports of untoward incident in the country so far involving Indian citizens, travellers are requested to exercise utmost caution while traveling to Turkey,” the embassy said in its advisory.

Turkey is an all-year-round destination and in recent years has seen growth in Indian tourist arrivals. 

Over 130,000 Indians visited the country between January and July, a year-on-year growth of 56 per cent. But the government’s caution may dampen travel demand, say travel agents. 

“The situation in Turkey is calm. But people are wary of the situation in the region. The advisory will impact demand,” said Guldeep Singh Sahni, former president of Outbound Tour Operators Association of India. 

“We expect customers to adopt a wait-and-watch strategy when it comes to travelling to Turkey,” said Pradip Lulla, acting president of Travel Agents Federation of India.