ANNOUNCEMENT ON REGARDING GEOGRAPHIC DATA PERMIT APPLICATION

Dear Members,

According to the official letter submitted to our Association by the General Directorate of Geographic Information Systems of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, it has been stated that travel agencies benefit from geographic data in their operations, and in this context, certain activities of our members should be evaluated within the scope of the provisions of Law No. 7221 on Geographic Information Systems and Amendments to Certain Laws.

In this regard, geographic data is defined in Presidential Decree No. 49 on Geographic Information Systems as “any data containing location information.” The Ministry’s letter further indicates that travel agencies utilize data related to accommodation facilities, cultural and natural sites, recreational areas, transportation networks, airports, ports, geographical place names, natural areas, coastlines, national parks, and geographical elements such as lakes, rivers, and seas in activities including destination selection, route planning, and determining accommodation and transportation alternatives. Such data may fall within the scope of the National Geographic Data Responsibility Matrix.

Within this framework, the Ministry has announced that members who use such data as location-based information in their commercial activities may submit their geographic data permit applications via the application portal at http://vize.csb.gov.tr.

Accordingly, it is important for our members who determine that they use geographic data in their activities to carefully review the relevant legislation and the Ministry’s letter, and to complete the necessary applications in order to avoid potential administrative sanctions. Furthermore, the criteria for calculating permit fees are set out in the annexes of Law No. 7221. Factors such as the number of geographic data themes, area of operation, duration of the permit, and the applicant’s annual net sales/revenue are taken into consideration in the calculation of permit fees.

The Ministry’s letter and Law No. 7221, including the permit fee calculation tables, are shared in the annex of our announcement.

Respectfully submitted for your information.

Association of Turkish Travel Agencies
TÜRSAB

Annex - 1: Official Letter of the General Directorate of Geographic Information Systems, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change
Annex - 2: Law No. 7221 and Permit Fee Calculation Tables Included in Its Annexes