New Regulation for Digital Accommodation Platforms Introduced to the Parliament

A new regulation that affects millions of people in Turkey has been introduced to the Parliament. The "Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law Proposal" aims to bring foreign digital accommodation platforms under control.Foreign digital accommodation platforms will be required to obtain a document from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Additionally, these platforms will be required to open a representative office in Turkey.

The tourism sector is one of the most strategically important sectors in terms of our country's economic development, employment capacity, international promotion, and service exports. With the acceleration of digitalization on a global scale, the role of electronic commerce environments in the planning, marketing, and provision of tourism activities has increased significantly; a large part of travel, transportation, and tourism services, especially accommodation services, have begun to be provided through digital platforms.

Foreign digital accommodation platforms will be able to directly conduct electronic commerce for tourism-certified accommodation facilities and houses rented for tourism purposes, as well as sell airline tickets electronically.If the proposal becomes law, those who do not comply will first face administrative fines, and then cancellation penalties, and foreign digital platforms will be prevented from selling digitally in Turkey.Airbnb, booking.com, agoda, trivago, Skyscanner (Hotels), and Cozycozy platforms will be required to open a representative office in Turkey.