Booking.com set for return after 9 years
Two tourists walk at Istanbul’s popular İstiklal Street in Taksim.
Nine years after being blocked from offering domestic bookings in Türkiye, online travel giant Booking.com may soon return as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) begins collecting signatures for a new Culture and Tourism Ministry-backed regulation.
Suspended in 2017 following court rulings over tax evasion and unfair competition, the platform had been restricted to handling foreign travel for Turkish users. The proposed law will clear the way for the travel giant to fully restart domestic and international booking services across Türkiye.
The platform, widely preferred by travelers for holiday planning, currently serves users in Türkiye solely for international reservations. The new framework will clear the path for the platform to re-establish domestic operations, addressing previous legal objections regarding unpaid taxes and unfair commercial advantage.
