IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE LACK OF BUSINESS DOCUMENT NUMBERS AND TITLES IN THE ONLINE SALES CHANNELS OF OUR TRAVEL AGENCIES

Dear Members,

As is known, with the amendment made on January 14, 2021, to Article 4 of the Travel Agencies Regulation, the term “Online Sales Channel” was added, and to the second paragraph of Article 17, the following was added: "A travel agency, may promote, market, and sell its own or other travel agencies' exclusive services through online sales channels, provided that it is affiliated with the business premises specified in the first paragraph and has been issued an operating license by the Ministry."

Furthermore, the second paragraph of Article 55 of the Travel Agencies Regulation states that the Ministry's activity inspections shall also apply to the online sales channels through which travel agencies conduct their marketing and sales activities.

Members are reminded that, in the online sales channels where travel agencies carry out their exclusive services and which have the status of a business premises, It is a legal requirement for our members to comply with the obligation set forth in the third paragraph of Article 17 of the Travel Agencies Regulation, which states: “Travel agencies must use the license number and travel agency title listed on the business license issued by the Ministry for the purpose of informing consumers in their marketing and sales activities on the first page of online sales channels and at the bottom of other pages.”  It is a legal requirement to comply with this obligation. In this context, you must use your travel agency operating license number and travel agency title on the first landing page of your online sales channel and at the bottom of other pages.

In the event that a violation is detected during inspections conducted by the Ministry, a warning penalty will be imposed in accordance with Article 27/a/4 of Law No. 1618, and if the situation is not rectified within 30 days, a monetary penalty will be imposed.

Additionally, our investigations have revealed that many of our members are not using the Digital Verification System in their online sales channels. We would like to inform you that the Digital Verification System (DDS), which is required to ensure the reliability of your travel agency in the eyes of consumers, can be obtained from our website, https://www.tursab.org.tr/dijital-dogrulama-sistemi-dds.  

We respectfully bring this to your attention.  

Turkish Travel Agencies Association
TÜRSAB