Italian Antitrust Authority AGCM said
Tuesday that it has imposed a total of almost 20 million euros
in fines on a cooperative and on six tour operations over
illegal practices regarding the sale of tickets to the Colosseum
Archaeological Park in Rome.
The authority said an investigation it launched in July 2023
showed the online purchase of tickets to the Colosseum
Archaeological Park "was essentially impossible".
It said it fined Società Cooperativa Culture (CoopCulture),
which managed the official ticket sale service for the Colosseum
from 1997 until 2024, seven million euros for "knowingly
contributing to the substantial and prolonged unavailability of
base-priced tickets for entry to the Colosseum.
"On the one hand, CoopCulture failed to take adequate steps to
counter automated ticket hoarding; on the other, it kept a
sizeable share of tickets for bundled sales tied to its own
educational tours, which generated considerable profits," AGCM
continued.
"This resulted in CoopCulture forcing consumers to turn to tour
operators and platforms that resold tickets bundled with
additional services (such as guided tours, pickup, or priority
access) at much higher prices".
It said tour operators Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide
Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City
Wonders Limited and Musement S.p.A used bots or other automated
tools to hoover up tickets, contributing to the rapid
disappearance of base-priced tickets on CoopCulture's website.
"By doing so, the operators benefited from the constant
unavailability of tickets, which left consumers seeking access
to the Colosseum with no choice but to purchase them through
these channels - often at much higher prices due to the bundling
with additional services offered either directly or via other
operators," AGCM said.
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