TRNC Authorities Announce New Rules for Short-Term Rentals on Airbnb

The TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) authorities may soon require property owners who rent out their homes on Airbnb for short-term stays to register with the government. This measure aims to better track the number of incoming tourists.

This announcement was made by the TRNC Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment, Fikri Ataoglu, in an interview with Gundem Kibris TV.

According to the minister, the current situation, where information from short-term rental property owners is lacking, leads to authorities being unaware of the exact number of tourists visiting the country. Currently, only hotels provide information about their guests.

The minister noted that an estimated two million tourists arrive in the TRNC annually, including those traveling by air and sea. This figure does not account for travelers who enter the island through airports in the Republic of Cyprus and then cross into the TRNC through checkpoints.

The country has approximately 30,000 registered beds for tourist accommodations.

According to Cyprus Mail and data from the Cyprus Turkish Building Contractors Association (Ktimb), there are currently around 50,000 properties listed for short-term rental in Northern Cyprus. Thus, the actual number of available beds for tourists is about 80,000.

Based on these figures, the minister plans to introduce a new law to the republic's assembly that will require short-term rental owners to notify authorities about their properties.

"Once the law is passed, we will be able to determine the exact number of tourists coming to the TRNC and renting properties. This will also allow us to see how much money they are spending," he said.

Fikri Ataoglu also mentioned that the adoption of the law will increase treasury revenues through taxes, as short-term rental owners will be under the control of the Ministry of Tourism and will be able to rent out their properties "with greater ease."

In addition to this new law, the minister stated that his department is "working on reducing operational costs for hotels," which will make hotel accommodation prices "more reasonable."