Turkey's Trade Ministry clarifies early holiday reservation refunds

The Turkish Ministry of Trade has issued guidelines for consumers who cancel early‑booking holiday packages. Under the rules, a traveler may terminate a reservation up to 30 days before the start of the tour and receive a full refund, excluding any mandatory taxes. Cancellations made 30‑15 days before departure may incur a 25 % charge, while those 15‑7 days prior can be reduced by 50 %. If a cancellation occurs less than a week before the trip, hotels are not required to return any payment because the room cannot be resold.

The ministry’s clarification follows numerous complaints from citizens who prepaid for summer vacations months in advance and later had to cancel, only to be told by hotels that the reserved rooms could not be sold to other guests. The new guidance aims to balance consumer protection with hotels’ need to secure revenue during the off‑season.