TÜRSAB Filed a Unfair Competition Lawsuit Against Airbnb and 9 Platforms

Lawsuit Initiative from TÜRSAB

The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) has filed a lawsuit against 10 foreign travel platforms, including Airbnb. The association states that these platforms do not establish companies in Turkey and are not registered as tax payers.

Threat of Unfair Competition and Tax Loss

In a statement, TÜRSAB emphasized that the mentioned platforms provide services that can only be offered by licensed travel agencies according to Turkish legislation. This situation poses serious risks in terms of unfair competition, tax loss, and consumer rights.

Defendant Platforms

The statement noted that other platforms involved in the lawsuit include GetYourGuide, Viator, Isango, ToursByLocals, Agoda, Trip.com Group, Hotels.com, and Musement.

Consumer Rights Protection

TÜRSAB pointed out that despite the strong positions of these companies in the market, there is no legal counterpart for them in Turkey, leaving consumers unprotected in complaint, dispute, and return processes.

Bağlıkaya’s Statements

TÜRSAB President Firuz Bağlıkaya stated, “We have no problem with these companies. However, they need to establish agencies in Turkey and pay taxes. We cannot allow unfair competition,”

Past Successes

It is worth reminding that TÜRSAB previously won a lawsuit against Booking Holdings. In 2017, a Turkish court ruled that Booking.com did not meet the conditions of being a licensed travel agency and imposed a domestic access ban.