11.03.2026 15:03
In the report of the TBMM Kartalkaya Research Commission, it was emphasized that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is only authorized for the certification and classification of tourism facilities, while fire safety and operational inspections are the responsibility of various institutions such as municipalities, provincial special administrations, fire departments, and occupational safety units.
The report of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission established to investigate all aspects of the fire disaster that occurred at a hotel located in Bolu Kartalkaya has been published.
The report titled "Determining the Responsibilities of Relevant Institutions and Organizations by Investigating All Dimensions of the Fire Disaster Occurred at a Hotel Located in Bolu Kartalkaya and Identifying the Measures to Be Taken to Prevent Similar Incidents" elaborated on the legislation that defines the duties and responsibilities of institutions in detail.
TOURISM OPERATION LICENSE CANNOT BE ISSUED WITHOUT A PERMIT
The report clearly stated that the fundamental condition for granting a tourism operation license to accommodation facilities is that the relevant business must first obtain a workplace opening and operating permit from the authorized administrations. Accordingly, it was noted that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism cannot issue a tourism operation license to any business that does not have a workplace opening and operating permit.
The commission report also recorded that having a workplace opening and operating permit for a business is considered as evidence that the facility in question has been constructed and opened for operation in accordance with the applicable legislation in areas such as zoning, environment, fire safety, occupational health and safety, and food safety. The existence of this permit is stated to be a document indicating that the relevant institutions have conducted the necessary inspections and audits within their own legislation and that no issues have been identified.
The report also emphasized that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is only authorized in the area of certifying and classifying tourism facilities, while the responsibility for critical areas such as fire safety and operational inspections is shared among different institutions such as municipalities, provincial special administrations, fire departments, and occupational safety units.
TOURISM OPERATION LICENSE IS NOT A TECHNICAL SUITABILITY DOCUMENT, BUT A QUALIFICATION DOCUMENT
The report stated that the tourism operation license is a qualification document and that the tourism operation license is not a document regarding the technical adequacy of the facility (such as zoning and fire safety) but rather serves as a quality certificate.
After nearly a year of public discussions conducted through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the report of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission revealed that the licensing of accommodation facilities and security inspections fall under the authority of different institutions.
While the report indicated that fire safety inspections are not under the Ministry's jurisdiction, there was no finding that directly assigns responsibility for fire inspections to the Ministry.