Ticket scandal at Colosseum: Italy fines tour giants
Italian Antitrust Authority AGCM said 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, CE Report quotes ANSA.
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.
