Major global booking and accommodation platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb are poised to fully return to the Turkish market, with a new set of regulations proposed in a bill submitted to Parliament, according to a report on Wednesday.
Comprehensive regulation will be introduced for travel and booking platforms with extensive global operations such as Booking.com, which has been inaccessible in Türkiye for the past nine years, a report by Sabah newspaper said.
Other media reports, including Bloomberg News, also indicated recently that platforms might restart operations in the country.
Suspended in 2017 following court rulings over tax evasion and unfair competition, Booking.com, as one of the leading providers, had been restricted to handling foreign travel for Turkish users. The proposed law would clear the way for the travel giant to fully restart domestic and international booking services across Türkiye.
Accordingly, foreign digital accommodation platforms will be required to obtain a permit to operate in Türkiye, according to the Sabah report.
The fee for this permit will be TL 5 million ($105,000), and it will be valid for two years, the report said.
It also said that the 10-article provision dubbed "Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law Proposal," signed by deputies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), has been submitted to Parliament.
The new regulation aims to bring the activities of foreign-based digital accommodation and reservation platforms like Booking.com, Airbnb, and similar platforms within a legal framework in Türkiye and to protect consumers.
Among the key requirements, foreign digital accommodation platforms would have to obtain a permit from the Culture and Tourism Ministry to operate in Türkiye. The initial fee for this permit is TL 5 million.
Platforms will also have to appoint at least one authorized representative in Türkiye to receive notifications and respond to applications.
Moreover, the amount that foreign digital accommodation platforms can charge for services, calculated exclusive of value-added tax (VAT), cannot exceed 17% of the sale price. They must also pay a tourism fee of 0.075% (7.5 per 10,000) to the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA).
The bill also defines the obligations of foreign digital accommodation platforms. Accordingly, these platforms cannot operate outside the scope of their permit, nor can they sell or market other products. Activities within the scope of the permit must only be conducted through the e-commerce platform used for these services.
If there are any changes in the information and documents provided for the permit, they must notify the ministry within 15 days.
