Nearly 8,000 illegal tourism sites exist in Türkiye, says deputy minister

Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan said nearly 8,000 tourism accommodation facilities were operating illegally in the country.

Speaking at the Grand Kartalkaya Hotel Fire Investigation Commission, he stated that efforts to shut them down have been slow despite multiple warnings to local authorities.

Authorities struggle to shut down thousands of unregistered tourism facilities in Türkiye

Alpaslan explained that a 2021 amendment to the Tourism Promotion Law required all tourism and accommodation facilities to obtain a license from the ministry. Before the amendment, there were around 4,250 licensed tourism facilities in Türkiye.

However, authorities estimated that an additional 7,500–8,000 facilities were operating with only a workplace operating license. After the law was enacted, the total number of facilities turned out to be over 17,000.

The deputy minister said, “We identified these businesses and immediately alerted local governments.” He added that 8,000 facilities had no legal documentation, not even a workplace operating license. Since then, authorities have shut down 6,200 of these facilities, but the process of closing the remaining ones has been slow.

Alpaslan expressed frustration with the local administrations’ lack of action.

We have sent seven official letters to governors, instructing them to close these illegal facilities.

However, due to various bureaucratic and political delays, the process has taken much longer than expected.

Ideally, all 8,000 facilities should have been closed within a month, but three years have passed, and some remain operational.

The deputy minister stated

Fire safety violations force Turkish authorities to close more facilities

The discussion on unregistered tourism facilities took place during an investigation into the Grand Kartalkaya Hotel fire. The incident raised concerns about the enforcement of safety regulations.

Alpaslan stated that, before the fire, authorities had already shut down 4,380 facilities for failing to meet regulations. After the incident, another 1,800 tourism facilities were closed due to fire safety violations, while 6,200 facilities were banned from operating.

Alpaslan emphasized the severity of the violations. “There were serious negligence issues both before and during the fire. Very serious faults and neglect were present, and these will be fully revealed once the prosecutor’s expert report is released.”

He also explained that while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism grants Tourism Business Certificates, these only serve as quality assurance documents and do not guarantee technical safety compliance.

“A facility’s compliance with zoning laws, environmental regulations, fire protection laws, tax regulations, and occupational safety rules is monitored by the relevant public institutions,” he said.

New laws proposed to improve enforcement, tourism safety in Türkiye

Alpaslan stated that two legislative packages are under review in parliament. These reforms aim to strengthen oversight of tourism facilities and improve fire safety measures. “If passed, these laws will significantly improve safety standards and help Türkiye compete better in global tourism,” he said.

Authorities have struggled to enforce tourism laws and safety regulations. While they have shut down thousands of unregistered businesses, slow enforcement continues to create risks for public safety and the tourism industry’s credibility.