Tourism SGK support leaves 14,000 facilities outside program, reduces cost from 12 billion to 5.4 billion lira

The government's Social Security Institution (SGK) premium support law, introduced to curb layoffs in the tourism sector, provides support of up to 3,500 lira per employee monthly. However, once implementation procedures were established, it became clear that approximately 14,000 Simple Accommodation Certificate-holding businesses, representing 64 percent of Turkey's 21,420 accommodation facilities nationwide, were excluded from the program.

This distinction was made despite the fact that both certificate types issued by the Ministry of Tourism have no practical difference in application. According to sector representatives, the decision in question was a deliberate last-minute choice; in this way, the total cost was reduced from 12 billion lira to 5.4 billion lira. Only 7,700 Tourism Enterprise Certificate-holding facilities are able to benefit from the support. The law, which covers the May-December 2026 period, provides no contribution whatsoever to the 14,000 excluded facilities.