Thomas Cook inks pact to promote Turkiye in India as tourist destination

Travel services company Thomas Cook India on Friday said it has signed an agreement with group firm SOTC and Turkiye Tourism for promoting the West Asian country as a tourist destination in India.

The collaboration will focus on building awareness and boosting visitations to Turkiye and will also cover both product development and wide-ranging marketing initiatives, the company said in a statement.

With strong pent-up demand and easing of entry restrictions, Indian travel sentiment is at an all-time high. Destinations like Turkiye that offer an added advantage of a simple and easy visa process are seeing significant interest, Thomas Cook India said.

"Turkiye is one of the world's most culturally rich destinations renowned for its warm hospitality, unique history, immense natural beauty, breathtaking architecture, and diverse gastronomy. We are delighted to collaborate with Turkiye Tourism to jointly promote the destination to our range of customer segments as an aspirational destination for Indians," Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, President & Country Head - Holidays, MICE, Visa, Rajeev Kale said.

Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, Culture and Tourism Counsellor, H Deniz Ersoz said Turkiye is one of the most popular tourism destinations for Indian travellers with the interest of Indian visitors in the country, being on a consistent rise over the recent years.

"In 2019, which was the pre-pandemic period, Turkiye welcomed 51 million international visitors of which Indians comprised a significant share. With Covid-related travel restrictions easing up, Turkiye has been amongst the top travel destinations for travellers from India in the past months," he added.

Ersoz further said, he expected that the collaboration will further boost the demand for Turkiye's tourism in India, which is one of the most important and high potential markets for Turkiye.