Turkish travel agency wins unfair competition case against booking.com
The Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) has won a lawsuit it filed against the popular hotel booking website booking.com. In 2017, the website was blocked in Turkey on the basis that it violated competition laws, and the injunction was granted. However, users within the country were still able to book international hotels, while it has also been possible to use the site to book hotels within Turkey with the use of a VPN.
Duvar English
The Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) has won a lawsuit it filed against the popular hotel booking website booking.com, according to news reports on Oct. 18.
An Istanbul commercial court decided that booking.com was guilty of generating unfair competition, and said that the injunction against the website could be removed in the event that it pays it a fine amounting to 500,000 TL.
In 2017, the website was blocked in Turkey on the basis that it violated competition laws, and the injunction was granted. However, users within the country were still able to book international hotels, while it has also been possible to use the site to book hotels within Turkey with the use of a VPN.
At the time, the website defended its stake in the Turkish market, saying it provided a platform for more than 13,000 hotels, hostels and other types of accommodation to offer bookings throughout Turkey.