Türkiye's parliament is back from its 51-day summer recess, and buried in the legislative pile-up is a change holidaymakers actually care about: a draft bill expected to reopen Booking.com to users in the country after nine years of restricted access.
The accommodation platform was blocked in 2017 after Turkish court rulings over tax evasion and unfair competition claims. Since then, Turkish users could only use it for foreign travel, while domestic hotel bookings had to go through other channels. Under the proposed law, foreign digital accommodation platforms would need a permit to operate in Türkiye — clearing the way for Booking.com to fully restore both domestic and international booking services. Per a report in Sabah newspaper, the bill is designed to pave the way for exactly that.
For travellers heading to Istanbul, Antalya or the Aegean coast, this could mean full access to the platform's inventory, reviews and prices on the ground, rather than the workaround-heavy situation that has applied since 2017. Anyone booking from abroad was never blocked, so the practical benefit lands mostly with visitors already in Türkiye making or changing plans mid-trip — a common scenario for ferries, last-minute coastal stays and extending holidays.
The rest of parliament's agenda is heavily political, and worth a quick scan for anyone travelling to Türkiye this year. The 13th Judiciary Package covers divorce, alimony and — notably — a proposed real-identity verification system for social media, to be rolled out through the e-Government portal. If implemented, visitors could face extra hoops when logging into accounts or using platforms from within the country; technical details on how the system would treat users abroad are still being worked out. Lawmakers will also revisit the terror-free Türkiye initiative, the Red Crescent's mandate, and the ruling AK Party's long-running push for a new constitution.
The Booking.com bill stands out because it's the one item with a direct, immediate effect on a holiday. If it passes, Türkiye becomes noticeably easier to book on the fly — and the country's hotel sector, which has long operated without one of the world's biggest distribution platforms, gets a major player back in the mix. Watch for the permit requirement too: it signals a regulated rather than free-for-all return, so timelines may depend on licensing rather than a simple vote. Travellers planning trips over the coming months should keep an eye on whether the law clears parliament before the next recess begins in July 2027 — though given it's on the opening-year agenda, movement could come much sooner.
For anyone with a Türkiye trip on the horizon, the practical takeaway: domestic Booking.com options may reappear soon, and social media access rules are worth checking before you fly.
Story based on reporting by Daily Sabah Travel.
