Is Booking.com Returning to Turkey? The 9.5-Year Ban

In two days, on October 6th, Turkey's parliament will hold a committee session with the question hotel owners have been asking for 9.5 years on its agenda: is Booking.com coming back to Turkey? The answer is still unclear — but what gets discussed in that committee could directly affect your distribution channels going forward. This piece skips the hype and the panic and sticks to what's actually happening.

Why Is Booking.com Banned in Turkey?

In March 2017, a Turkish court ordered Booking.com to stop offering domestic reservation services in Turkey, following a lawsuit filed by TÜRSAB (the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies). TÜRSAB's argument was simple: the platform was operating without the required business licenses, creating unfair competition for local agencies. Since then — for roughly 9.5 years — that block has stayed in effect, and it's still in force today.

What Does the New Law Proposal Actually Say?

On August 10, 2026, a bill titled the "Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law Proposal" was submitted to Turkey's parliament. It's currently under review in the Public Works, Transport and Tourism Committee and has not become law — the committee session on October 6th will show whether the process moves another step forward. If passed in its current form, the proposal would impose these conditions on foreign digital accommodation platforms:

• Permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism — a platform's ability to operate in Turkey would depend on this approval.
• A 5-million-lira license fee.
• A 17% cap on commissions and service fees, excluding VAT.
• A mandatory local legal representative in Turkey.
• A 3-month transition period for compliance.

All of this reflects the bill's current text — it would take effect only if the law passes, and it isn't a reality yet.

Who's Opposing the Proposal?

TÜRSAB and local travel agencies are pushing back. Their arguments fall into two camps: first, that it would create unequal treatment between local agencies — who operate under far heavier obligations under Law No. 1618 — and foreign platforms; second, that companies like Booking Holdings and Expedia already hold a large share of the European OTA market, and this regulation could deepen that concentration further. In other words, this isn't a bill headed for unanimous approval — it's still contested, and the outcome is uncertain.

What Have Turkish Hotels Been Doing for 9.5 Years?

While Booking.com has been locked out of domestic bookings, Turkish hotels and guesthouses haven't been standing still. Local OTAs like Etstur, Tatilbudur, Jolly Tur, Odamax, and Otelz.com, alongside direct booking channels, now form the real backbone of distribution in Turkey's hospitality sector. This isn't a temporary workaround — it's an ecosystem that's had 9.5 years to settle into its own rhythm. So the channel mix you're running today isn't "missing" something or "wrong" — it's a working structure, built for these exact conditions.

If the Proposal Passes, What Actually Changes for Hotel Owners?

If the bill becomes law as written and Booking.com starts taking domestic reservations in Turkey again, that could mean three practical things for you:

• You'd have one more channel option: alongside local OTAs and direct bookings, an international distribution channel would re-enter the mix.
• Commission competition would reshape itself: even with the 17% cap, a global platform's marketing reach could reignite competition on price and visibility.
• Your direct booking channel would only get more valuable, not less: no matter which platform enters the market, your own commission-free (or low-cost) booking channel stays your most profitable one.

What's the One Thing You Can Control Either Way?

Whether, when, and under what terms Booking.com comes back isn't something you control right now. But one thing is: your own website's ability to turn a visitor — however they found you — into a direct booking. A fast-loading site, a clear value proposition, and solid SEO fundamentals work in your favor whether Booking.com returns or not.

What Should You Do Right Now?

It's worth watching the October 6th committee session and what follows — but you don't need to sit on your hands while that plays out. Knowing how ready your site is for direct bookings, and benchmarking your own distribution mix against competitors, is a valuable step regardless of how this story ends.