Türkiye received 2.3 lakh Indian tourists in 2019 and the 2.7 lakh estimates are a 20% jump over 2022 arrival numbers. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and Türkiye Tourism and Promotion Agency in association with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has organised a six city India roadshow commencing from New Delhi.
Türkiye would have received a record number of 2.7 lakh Indian tourists last year, eclipsing the Indian arrival figures of 2022 and 2019, Onur Gözet, deputy director general, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Türkiye.
He said the aim is to reach 3.5 lakh Indian arrivals next year. Türkiye received 2.3 lakh Indian tourists in 2019 and the 2.7 lakh estimates are a 20% jump over 2022 arrival numbers. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and Türkiye Tourism and Promotion Agency in association with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has organised a six city India roadshow commencing from New Delhi.
“Our official figures are not out yet, but we are estimating that we would have received about 2.7 lakh Indian tourists last year. The target is to make India among our top ten source markets in the next two to three years. India, as an emerging source market for tourism is really important for the ministry of culture and tourism and the Turkish Tourism Authorities,” said Gözet.
He also said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working to ease the visa application procedure for Indian travellers. “Turkish Airlines has 14 flights per week from Delhi and Mumbai, and Indigo has the same number of flights. The most important element in tourism is transportation. We will work on increasing the number of flights between India and Türkiye,” he added.
He said Türkiye saw a ‘remarkable’ surge in popularity among Indian couples seeking the perfect destination wedding last year, and that Türkiye is betting on the Indian wedding segment, as it is a good way of promoting Indian culture in the country.
The top source markets for Türkiye are Germany, Russia and the UK. “We are looking for new and emerging markets such as India,” he added. Overall, Türkiye would have received 5.5 crore international visitors last year.
He said the country wants to involve more Indian travel agent associations such as TAAI as well as Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI). “We will also try to expand our presence in other markets such as Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru and Chandigarh, as these markets also have a huge potential,” he added.
Gözet said one of the aims of the ministry and the tourism sector is to diversify the tourism product. “When we look at the Indian tourists in Türkiye, they come for culture, they come for history, they come for events, shopping, weddings and other MICE events. These are the types of tourists we want. This matches with our targets,” he added.
Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, commented on the roadshow, saying, “Tourism stands as a dynamic force for connecting individuals from diverse cultures, fostering mutual understanding. We are delighted to collaborate with Turkiye for their mega six-city roadshow after the challenging phase of the COVID pandemic. The interactions today in Delhi marked a successful commencement of the roadshow, graced by the presence of senior government representatives from Turkiye, highlighting the effectiveness of such interactions in building relationships.”
