Italy’s antitrust authority has fined a number of tour operators over prolonged ticket unavailability for Rome’s Colosseum, which has been attributed to bots and other automated hoarding tools.
The Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) imposed a fine of almost €20m (£17m/$23m) on Società Cooperativa Culture (CoopCulture), and tour operators such as Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l, City Wonders Limited and Musement S.p.A – all of which are accused of using bots to purchase tickets in bulk, contributing to their unavailability on CoopCulture’s website.
CoopCulture managed the official ticket sale service for access to the Colosseum from 1997 until 2024. It was issued an administrative fine of €7m for “knowingly contributing to the substantial and prolonged unavailability of base-priced tickets for entry to the Colosseum”.
The AGCM launched the investigation in July 2023, after the authority gathered information indicating that the online purchase of tickets to access the Colosseum Archaeological Park was extremely difficult.
CoopCulture “failed to take adequate steps to counter automated ticket hoarding” while also maintaining a sizeable share of tickets for bundled sales tied to its own educational tours, according to the AGCM.
This then forced tourists and visitors to turn to tour operators that resold tickets bundled with additional services like guided tours, pickup or priority access at much higher prices.
The authority found that CoopCulture’s conduct amounted to an unfair commercial practice in breach of article 20, paragraph two of the Consumer Code, while the additional operators were found to be in violation of articles 24 and 25, and as of April 2 2023, article 23, paragraph one, of the same code.
In a statement to Reuters, GetYourGuide said that the regulator’s ruling was “unfounded and far removed from the facts” and said that it was determined to “defend the integrity of its operations”.
More than seven million people a year visit the Colosseum, making it the most popular tourist attraction in Italy.