New bill aims to combat unfair gains among tour guides

ANKARA

A legislative proposal by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) might pave the way to penalize tour guides who strategically steer tourists toward certain establishments for shopping or lodging, securing commissions in return from these businesses.

As part of an overarching strategy to elevate service standards within the scope of Türkiye’s tourism targets, the regulation also envisages that guides may face expulsion from the profession, while travel agencies could be subjected to a five-year suspension for such practices.

According to a report from daily Milliyet published on Feb. 13, guides engaging in these unfair profit-making activities could receive a temporary professional suspension if they commit the same behavior twice within five years.

If authorities identify such behavior occurring three times, permanent expulsion from the profession might be imposed.

In tandem with these punitive measures, guides implicated in such malpractices could also find themselves liable to fines of up to 100,000 Turkish Liras ($3,200).

Meanwhile, travel agencies involved in orchestrating unauthorized shopping excursions for tourists without explicit consent might find themselves grappling with a five-year suspension from their agency operations.

Beyond the punitive realm, the legislative proposal concurrently endeavors to foster linguistic diversity within the tourist guide profession, particularly aiming to attract and cater to the influx of visitors from the Far East, with a spotlight on Chinese tourists.

For individuals proficient in selected Far Eastern languages with at least an associate degree, a 100-hour training program and successful completion of a practical tour would be deemed sufficient for certification as a tourist guide.

Acknowledging the inadequacies of existing certification programs, the legislation envisages a decentralized approach, granting the Culture and Tourism Ministry the authority to endorse national and regional tourist guide training programs facilitated by pertinent organizations.

In a bid to streamline the inclusion of art history and archaeology graduates into the fold, the legislation dispenses with the prerequisite for these individuals to attend prescribed national and regional tourist guide training programs. Instead, a 100-hour training program coupled with a successful practical tour would be considered a sufficient qualification. Those found engaged in unauthorized guiding activities may face fines of up to 100,000 liras.