Turkish court blocks Booking.com website
March 30, 2017"The decision has been taken to halt the unfair competition activities of Booking.com. in a case brought by Tursab," the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, Tursab said in a statement on its website.
Tursab said Turkey's competition authority had fined the Dutch-based internet operator, founded in 1996 and a subsidiary of Priceline Group since 2005, 2.5 million Turkish pounds (some $700,000).
The Hurriyet daily quoted Tursab secretary general Cetin Gurcun as saying anybody who had already made reservations on the site would not be penalised.
In a written statement, Booking.com said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal. "As an e-commerce and technology company, we are convinced that we contribute to healthy competition in the market by offering Turkish consumers a transparent and easy platform to compare and book accommodation all over the world," the company said. It added that Booking.com also helps 13,000 Turkish businesses offer accommodation to consumers.
is/ks (afp, dpa)