Turkey is the place now for Indians
Turkey has just dropped the 100 Euro visa fee for Indians, and there is an excellent reason why. In what is a unique niche of travel, big style Indian weddings in Turkey are taking off. Such is the lucrative income, luxurious hotels in Antalya and Istanbul now offer unique and tailored made Indian wedding packages, simply because when an Indian couple marries in Turkey, they want glamour, innovation, top notch hospitality and impeccable service at any price. Their budget is usually unlimited, and they will stop at nothing to have their dream wedding of a lifetime.
Indian Weddings in Turkey
Credit for the trend of extravagant Indian weddings might lie with Kamal Gupta who is the son of one of Indian’s richest executives. In 2016, he booked the whole of the Marden Hotel in Antalya for three days.
The hotel already has a reputation as one of the most expensive in Europe and its Olympic size swimming pool with gondola rides, aquarium restaurant and grand suite, promise luxury experiences, the likes of which have never been seen before. The total cost of the wedding was rumoured to have exceeded more than 10 million euros as the hotel employed 385 people to ensure it all went without a hitch.
So far, only roughly 25 extravagant Indian weddings have taken place in Turkey, but with each couple’s unlimited budget, one event can turn into a lucrative pay check for the event organisers. Industry rumours also suggest that the cosmopolitan peninsula of Bodrum is keen to tap into this new travel niche and by 2018, will also be promoting Indian weddings in their luxury hotels.
Other Indian Ventures
The Turkish Indian Tourism Council, whose aim is to get 1,000,000 Indians travelling to Turkey each year, is also keen to point out the tax benefits and discounts for film productions. While Ozer Guler, general manager of the north and east Indian for Turkish airlines, has also hinted that people should “watch this space.”
At the beginning of the year, he said the tourism industry of Turkey is focusing on India, more now than ever before. With Turkish Airlines, now flying directly to Delhi and Mumbai, they have huge plans, to introduce more routes and increased schedules.
India and Turkey Business and Trade
Do not underestimate the relationship between India and Turkey, because it is not just about tourism but also business and trade. In May 2017, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey travelled to India to meet with Kumar Mukherjee, the president of Indian and his counterpart, Narendra Modi, the prime minister.
In a statement on the website for the ministry of foreign affairs in the Republic of Turkey, they said talks focused on….
“Bilateral relations, mutual investments, diversification of the fields of bilateral cooperation, nuclear energy, civil aviation, medicine, space and technology, the Joint Economic Commission Meetings, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and increasing regular flights and destinations.”
During this conference, 350 people from both countries also took part in the Turkey – Indian Business forum to discuss mutual relationships and ways forward. Stating that India and Turkey are among the twenty largest economies in the world, they are looking forward to reciprocal relationships that will enhance their participation in foreign trade.
Culturally Turkey and India are Similar
To assume the cooperation between India and Turkey is a new-found love affair would be wrong because citizens from both countries are eager to point out the history between both countries stemming from the era of the old silk road. With similarities in the food, Sufiism, culture and even 9,000 words that sound the same, this would partly explain why many visiting Indian tourists say they feel at home when in Turkey.
Istanbul
