There was only TÜRSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies) left that you hadn't interfered with. Of course, if there are illegal actions in an organization established by law and subject to administrative control, it will inevitably be audited. But if there is no such situation, what's your concern?

You divided the bars. You have shared the judiciary and security bureaucracy among sects, what does TÜRSAB have to do with it?

News has leaked that a draft law is being prepared to divide this professional organization, which has been operating under the name of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies for fifty years, just like the bars. The draft was discussed in the legal council at the Palace, and it is said to have been returned to the Ministry of Tourism for now due to some deficiencies.

What is the purpose?

Is it intended to allow big capital owners to manage the sector as they wish and to open the way for unfair competition?

Is the aim to overshadow travel agencies, which are labor and knowledge-intensive commercial enterprises and mostly operate as family businesses, by those who can provide big advertisements?

Or is it the intention to create a tourism sector where unfair competition cannot be controlled by the professional organization due to divided structures and small businesses closing down or operating as dealers of large companies like ETS?

In the draft prepared, according to our sources, the union structure of TÜRSAB is being divided and a multiple-organization principle is being adopted. In the law study prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it is being made possible for those operating as a pilgrimage, health tourism, tour operators, and plane ticket sellers to establish a separate and independent organization without any other condition.

The epitome of absurdity.

Why don't they think of dividing TOBB (The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) members according to their professions, for example...

IS THE PURPOSE MONOPOLIZATION?

While the general assembly and elections of the union are also separated in terms of place and date, it is intended to link the election affairs to the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, TGA, which was established with another law and a very different purpose. While TÜRSAB elections are conducted under judicial supervision, this condition is not required for TGA elections. In addition, when the regulations regarding the elections of organizations to be established, which are named unions but are associations, are examined, it will be contrary to both the law and the ordinary course of life that only one of the 18 board members is a representative of travel agencies and that it is desired to link to TGA elections which are not conducted under judicial supervision.

With this division, the aim is to pave the way for structures similar to associations instead of professional unions. Giving travel agencies the choice to register with the "professional organization they want" will inevitably make it impossible for the professional organization to monitor, guide, and set standards for its member's activities. The member will hesitate to demand the application of professional rules from the member, as they can leave the organization that sets rules for setting standards and join another organization.

The draft law takes the "transfer" activity, which is a tourism product, out of the hands of travel agencies, which are controllable structures, by confining it to tours and package tours, taking away the country's most important tourism service. The uncontrolled nature of this area will also eliminate the "safe service," which is the most important element in tourism.

With this regulation, monopolization will also occur in travel agency services, and this situation will financially make small and medium-sized travel agencies uncompetitive.

The issue of who will represent the sector at international fairs and meetings will also lead to chaos and debate.

The government's work on dividing TÜRSAB into small unions is not due to unemployment and boredom. The aim is to monopolize the sector and collect the share.

The smell of profit will soon be apparent.