Market Chatter: Airbnb, Expedia Sued by Turkish Travel Group for Unfair Competition

Airbnb (ABNB), Expedia (EXPE) and eight other foreign travel platforms are being sued by a Turkish travel industry group, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The lawsuit by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, known as Tursab, is seeking to block access to the platforms, citing unfair competition, tax evasion and consumer protection concerns, according to the report.

It argues that the companies have not established legal entities in Turkey or registered as taxpayers, yet provide services that Turkish law reserves exclusively for licensed travel agencies. As a result, the platforms operate outside regulatory oversight, the association said.

The lawsuit also names GetYourGuide, Viator, Isango, ToursByLocals, Agoda, Hotels.com, Trip.com Group (TCOM) and Musement, according to a statement from Tursab, Bloomberg said.

Airbnb, Expedia and Trip.com did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)