The TBMM Kartalkaya Ski Resort Hotel Fire Investigation Commission convened: 1827 facilities were closed in 1 month
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan reported that 1827 facilities reported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were closed by governorships and municipalities during the inspections carried out after the fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya on January 21.
Making a presentation at the TBMM Kartalkaya Ski Resort Hotel Fire Investigation Commission, Alpaslan reminded that the first condition for all places such as dormitories, hospitals and hotels to operate is to obtain a business operating license from the authorized administration.
Stating that workplace operating licenses are issued by municipalities within the adjacent area and by special administrations outside the adjacent area, Alpaslan emphasized that a workplace operating license is a prerequisite for a facility to provide services in accordance with the safety of life and property, and that certain conditions and documents must be provided in order to obtain a license.
Alpaslan stated that the tourism business certificate is a qualification certificate given to tourism businesses during the operation phase, taking into account the type, class, capacity and personnel qualifications, and that businesses that cannot obtain a business opening and operation license from the authorized municipality or special provincial administration are not given a tourism business certificate.
Grand Kartal Hotel (AA)
TOURISM BUSINESS CERTIFICATE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH
Noting that the tourism operation certificate is not a document regarding the technical adequacy of the facility, such as zoning and fire safety, Alpaslan said, "The tourism operation certificate is a 'quality certificate' and is not sufficient to open and operate a hotel on its own."
Describing the inspections carried out by the Ministry on tourism accommodation facilities, Alpaslan said that the facilities were inspected on many issues by the Ministry officials and reports were prepared.
WE ARE PROPOSING A CLOSURE, THE AUTHORITY BELONGS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Alpaslan said, "If our evaluations indicate any problems with the operation of the facility, we recommend that the situation be reported to the authorized administration that issues the workplace operating license and that the necessary action be taken. Although we make the closure recommendation, the authority to close it lies with local governments."
Alpaslan also shared examples of practices regarding the certification and inspection of accommodation facilities in countries where tourism is intense and with which Turkey competes.
Alpaslan, who pointed out the importance of precautions to be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening again, said, "We believe that in all facilities that are given a fire competence certificate or workplace competence certificate, these documents should be given for a certain period of time and updated and inspected when they expire, in order to prevent such incidents from happening again."
The TBMM Kartalkaya Ski Resort Hotel Fire Investigation Commission convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Erzurum Deputy Selami Altınok (in the photo). (AA)
FROM THE PRESENTATION
In the presentation made by Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Alpaslan, it was stated that Kartalkaya Region is within the authority and responsibility area of Bolu Provincial Special Administration since it is outside the borders of the municipality and the business opening and operation license of Grand Kartal Hotel was first given by Bolu Provincial Special Administration in 2007 and was re-issued by the same administration in 2015.
It was noted in the presentation that the administration authorized to issue a business opening and operating license decides whether a facility can be an accommodation facility, and only the type and class of the accommodation facility is determined by the Ministry, and the following was stated:
"There are many regulations that a hotel must comply with, such as zoning regulations, environmental regulations, fire protection regulations, tax regulations, occupational health and safety. The compliance with the rules in these regulations is inspected by the relevant public institutions and organizations. Article 30 of the Tourism Encouragement Law defines the inspection authority of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on hotels as 'conducting inspections of businesses requesting a certificate, inspections regarding the qualifications of certified investments and businesses, and classification of businesses'. According to Article 18 of the Regulation on the Inspection of Tourism Investments, Businesses and Organizations, the Ministry has the authority to determine and inspect cleanliness, order, service, price, administration and operation, qualifications that form the basis of obtaining a certificate, and personnel qualifications in certified tourism businesses. Inspections regarding health and environmental pollution are conducted by physicians and health personnel of authorized public institutions and organizations, and inspections regarding business opening and working licenses are conducted by the public institution that issues the business opening and working licenses.
As can be seen, issues requiring expertise such as fire, food inspection, pool water hygiene, noise insulation, and elevator certification are under the authority of the relevant institutions, and our Ministry's inspection officers are not under the scope of duty and authority, and they do not have any competence in these matters. The existence of a business opening and operating license is an indication that the necessary inspections and audits have been carried out by the authorized bodies according to their own legislation and that it is technically competent. As can be understood from here, the tourism business certificate is not a document related to the technical competence of the facility, such as zoning and fire safety, but is a quality certificate and is not sufficient to open and operate a hotel on its own.
Takvim
