ALBAWABA - Indians recently flooded social media platforms, urging fellow citizens to boycott Turkey and its tourism over the country's alleged military support to Pakistan during the 2025 clashes with India. While a ceasefire has been reached between India and Pakistan, tensions are still rising on the internet.
Pro-Indian activists also demanded the boycott of other Turkish products, including fashion, food, and appliances. Meanwhile, others took to social media to offer alternative countries to visit besides Turkey, with Greece rising in the charts.
Among the products being boycotted are brands like LC Waikiki, DeFacto, Koton, Mavi, Beko, Vestel, Turkish Airlines, and many more.
Indians call for Turkey tourism boycott amid Pakistan-India war
In response, Ankara's Department of Tourism released a statement assuring Indians that they are welcome to visit, further stating that the majority of Turkish citizens are unaware of India and Pakistan's recent diplomatic crisis. Additionally, the statement adds that it's safe for Indians to visit and that there's no reason for cancelling or postponing upcoming trips.
Several Indian social media users took to platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and promoted tourism to Greece.
A social media user wrote on X, "This is Greece. It’s beautiful. It’s the arch-rival of Turkey. They vocally support us, while Turkey supplies weapons to Pakistan to attack us. Travel to Greece, not Turkey. Give business to our friends, not our enemies. It’s the bare minimum you can do for the country."
Another added, "Those who go to Turkey and Azerbaijan are traitors to India. Just keep it in mind."
The hashtag "#BoycottTurkey" also flooded several social media platforms in protest against the country.
In response to the boycott calls, X user Ashok Swain wrote, "Two of the world's four most-visited cities are in Turkey. 526 Lakh tourists visited Turkey in 2024. Out of them only 3 lakh tourists from India. Before calling to ban visits Turkey, one must check the basic stat."
