TÜRSAB PRESIDENT BAĞLIKAYA: "LAW NO. 1618 MUST BE UPDATED TO PREVENT CONSUMER HARDSHIPS"

TÜRSAB PRESIDENT BAĞLIKAYA:
"LAW NO. 1618 MUST BE UPDATED TO PREVENT CONSUMER HARDSHIPS"

In light of recent bankruptcies and consumer grievances arising from ‘unfulfilled tours,’ an important call has been made by Firuz Bağlıkaya, President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB). Bağlıkaya said that Law No. 1618 on Travel Agencies and the Travel Agencies Association must be updated as soon as possible to secure the future of the sector and consumer rights.

Firuz Bağlıkaya, President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), made important statements regarding the recent bankruptcies of travel agencies and “unfulfilled tours.” Reminding that Law No. 1618, which contains legal regulations regarding travel agencies, was enacted in 1972, Firuz Bağlıkaya stated that the law, which forms the legal infrastructure for the sector, has fallen behind the times in terms of meeting professional requirements and protecting consumers, and said that they have been striving for its update for a long time.

“If the Expected Law Amendment Had Been Made, Consumers Would Not Have Suffered” Bağlıkaya made the following remarks in his assessment of the issue:

"Since we took office in 2018, we have been fighting for years to bring Law No. 1618 on Travel Agencies and the Travel Agencies Association into line with the conditions of the age. As an association, we aimed to prevent the current problems we are experiencing today with the views we presented in the legislative work carried out with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and with the draft law completed in line with these views. Although the draft resulting from these efforts was presented to the entire sector by the Minister himself and received positive feedback, the proposed regulations have not been enacted into law.

The draft included regulations on the ‘tour operator specialization certificate’ and ‘professional liability insurance’ on. However, despite all our efforts over the past eight years, these regulations have not been implemented. Unfortunately, the negative events we are experiencing today once again demonstrate how justified and appropriate our demands and expectations were. If the changes we wanted had been enacted, the consumer grievances we face today would not have occurred. These regulations will not only protect consumers' rights but also enhance the reputation of our profession. Our expectation is that these legal regulations, which directly affect the future of our sector, will be implemented as soon as possible.

TÜRSAB Aims to Ensure Equal Competition Conditions for All Travel Agencies

Drawing attention to the potential for recent negative developments to undermine confidence in the sector, Bağlıkaya said, "It is essential that every travel agency—regardless of whether it is old or new, small or large, a holding company or an SME—is reliable for consumers, as this is a requirement of the ‘professional commercial activity’ nature of travel agency operations. The distrust towards all travel agencies due to unfortunate events has led to a decline in the market share of travel agencies other than a few that have significant advertising power and financing opportunities. However, our goal is for every travel agency to have the opportunity to compete on equal terms in the market. To ensure this, regulations regarding tour operator certification and professional liability insurance are of great importance," he stated.

“TÜRSAB Takes All Actions Within Its Current Authority, But Legal Regulation is Necessary”

Noting that the association has taken all actions within the scope of its current authority, Firuz Bağlıkaya said the following on the subject: "TÜRSAB is working with all its might to prevent actual and potential grievances, both through the regulations included in the travel agency professional principles and the sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Board in case of non-compliance with these regulations, and through its intensive activity inspections. However, without the regulations we have been demanding for a long time regarding the tour operator specialization certificate and professional liability insurance, it has become impossible to prevent these grievances. Therefore, the legal infrastructure we demand must be established without delay. As the founding element and driving force of tourism, TÜRSAB continues its struggle to protect the reputation of our sector and the rights of our consumers. As we have done until now, we will continue to take steps to ensure the development of our country's tourism in every sense.

Information Note: The link to the announcement regarding the Travel Agencies and Travel Agencies Association Law proposal shared with the public by TÜRSAB on November 13, 2023, is as follows: https://www.tursab.org.tr/announcements/calismalari-2018-yilinda-baslayan-ve-2019-yilinda-kultur-ve-turizm-bakanligimiz-ile-birlikte-tamamlanan-1618-sayili-yasa-taslagi

Annex - 1: PDF File Containing Key Points of TÜRSAB's Proposed Law