Turkey proposes new regulations for foreign digital accommodation platforms

A new legislative proposal, the Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law, has been submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The bill aims to regulate foreign digital platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb operating within the country.

Under the proposal, these platforms must obtain a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, costing 5 million TL. This fee will be adjusted annually based on revaluation rates. The permit will be valid for two years and is non-transferable. Additionally, platforms must appoint a local representative; if a natural person, they must be a Turkish citizen residing in Turkey.

The regulation also seeks to cap commissions from accommodation sales at 17 percent and ensure hotels maintain the freedom to set their own prices on direct channels. Failure to comply could result in administrative fines, permit cancellation, or access blocks to digital sales in Turkey.

Separately, Turkish hotels are being invited to join a collective compensation initiative led by the Netherlands-based Stichting Hotel Claims Alliance. This movement targets Booking.com over alleged anti-competitive price parity practices that have impacted hotel revenues across Europe. Turkish hotels operating on the platform between 2004 and 2025 are eligible to participate in seeking damages.