More barriers on the way for holiday rentals

[JohnF]

I know that folks who rent holiday homes tend to rent to foreigners, who will generally access the main booking portals such as booking.com, AirBnb etc from outside Turkey.  However, there is a market for domestic rentals as well, lots of folks from Istanbul and Ankara head off to the coast during the summer the same as those from abroad.

As it stands, booking.com has been blocked domestically since March last year due to a complaint by TÜRSAB that it was unfair competition.

Now TÜRSAB is targeting another twenty online booking sites such as Expedia, AirBnb - even SkyScanner is on the list!

Given the current political climate I suspect they will be successful. 

TÜRSAB have indicated that they are still in discussion with booking.com, so who knows what'll come of that, but on the basis that they were banned almost eighteen months ago it doesn't look hopeful.

JF

[nichola]

Presumably if you have a VPN that works this block can be bypassed.

[JohnF]

Yes it can be bypassed, however as we all know the authorities are also waging war on VPNs as they believe they are an aid to terror organisations.  So far the VPN companies appear to be one step ahead, but for how long one wonders.  Recent legislation in respect of the internet has given the government pretty wide ranging powers when it comes to blocking access to the internet outside Turkey.  Again, anti terror concerns are the reason behind the legislation.

It's so draconian, they could effectively isolate Turkey from the outside world at the flick of a switch, so to speak.  The only way out would be to use a VPN or a private network address.  Someone I know (    ) had one open for a while during 2016 but it was recognised and blocked.

Ironically, its only when you can't watch Corrie on catch up that many folks will realise how tight a grip this government has on folks lives.

JF

[nichola]

I can no longer access iplayer with browsec but have just accessed booking.com no problem on same device.

Fortunately I have a Firestick for 99% of tv viewing...

Anyway thanks for the info, it's particularly relevant to me at the moment.

[Karennina]

Gosh whatever next! When we are in Turkey and want to book a few mini breaks its soo annoying that I have to message my son in uk and ask him to check the prices on booking.com for us, 9 times out of 10 they will be cheaper then other online sites and that is just trying to access the one barred site...I have no clue as to what a vpn is and at my age cant honestly be bothered with trying to find out, the internet is pretty damn unreliable in Turkey anyway, always has us asking the question when it plays up why doesnt Turkey have whatever other countries have like uk to make their internet better...Turkey is really not having a good time of things at the mo!

[nichola]

I don't have any problem with my internet and never have apart from the very occasional glitch due to lightning striking the box or a fallen telegraph pole.

I often see people complaining in the U.K. about having to wait weeks to get their internet installed in their new house or how slow their connection is, about as often as I see people complaining over here.

I don't really know why people constantly change providers over here in the hope for better or faster speeds when as I understand it everything runs from the same cables.

[jackstee]

I agree Nichola

[JohnF]

I don't have any problem with my internet and never have apart from the very occasional glitch due to lightning striking the box or a fallen telegraph pole.

Wish I could say the same in Spain   ok, its fast and unlimited, but only when it works.  We have an internet radio (Roberts i93) and you can always tell when the internet goes off as you it goes silent.  Really irritating!

JF

[saoirse]

Depends where in Spain and which company you are with

My speed here in Valencia is 300 download- twice faster than when I was in Belfast and 15 times faster than when I was in Turkey

Never had an issue with it