Italian authorities slap €20 million fines on tour operators for Colosseum ticket hoarding

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) imposed fines totaling nearly €20 million on several agencies, including CoopCulture, Tiqets International BV, and GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, for stockpiling entrance tickets to the Colosseum and making it difficult for consumers to find tickets at standard prices, according to Travel Trade Journal. The largest fine of €7 million was imposed on CoopCulture for practices that forced tourists to buy tickets at higher prices.

Six tour operators based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland were fined for their involvement in the scandal, including the use of bots to hoard large quantities of Colosseum tickets. The AGCM found that CoopCulture and other agencies were stockpiling tickets, which forced consumers to turn to resale platforms at higher prices.

The Colosseum, a nearly 2000-year-old Roman landmark and the largest amphitheater in the world, was the most visited monument in Italy in 2023, with over 12.3 million visitors. The AGCM stated that the travel agencies used bots to hoard tickets, and CoopCulture did not properly block this practice.

"As a result, it was virtually impossible for general visitors to purchase Colosseum tickets at the normal price," the AGCM explained, leading to "substantial and prolonged unavailability" of standard-priced tickets. Consequently, visitors had to buy higher-priced products that included options such as tourist guide services, hotel pickup services, and priority entry.

CoopCulture, which managed the official ticket sales service for access to the Colosseum from 1997 until 2024, was found to have contributed to the severe shortage of the cheapest tickets, fully aware of the situation. Since the first half of last year, Colosseum tickets repeatedly sold out as soon as they were issued.

The AGCM found that CoopCulture reserved "significant quantities of tickets for sale together with its own educational activities, from which it derived relevant economic benefits." By reserving tickets for its educational visits, CoopCulture forced consumers to turn to tour operators and platforms that resold tickets combined with additional services such as guided tours or "fast access" to the monument, often adding further costs to what should have been a straightforward ticket purchase.

In many cases, tickets were purchased by large tourism companies, which then resold them at a higher price. The large tourism businesses linked the tickets with mandatory additional services, such as guided tours or priority entry, adding further costs to visitors.

The AGCM stated that the use of bots by these tour operators resulted in tickets for individual tourists becoming unavailable, raising serious concerns regarding the integrity of ticket sales for top tourist attractions. The practices of hoarding tickets through bots and reselling them at inflated prices raise legal and ethical questions, particularly regarding consumer rights.

CoopCulture received the largest portion of the fine, amounting to €7 million, for failing to address automated ticket hoarding and for retaining a share of tickets for group sales linked to its own educational tours. The six travel agents and tour operators fined include Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walk LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited, and Musement S.p.A.

"We will continue to strongly defend our reputation, convinced that our activity contributes positively to the tourism sector," said Francesca de Falco, the director of GetYourGuide in Italy, according to Terra. The six platforms question the fine and promise to appeal to the Administrative Justice.

"The Antitrust Authority's provision is based on the desire to respond to media pressure," stated CoopCulture. "Constant commitment has been made to counter the use of bots and automated systems for the massive purchase of tickets," the cooperative added. "Therefore, we have decided to turn to the judiciary, fully trusting in the judiciary," concluded CoopCulture in a note signed by Letizia Casuccio, general director of the cooperative.

The AGCM's investigation, initiated in July 2023, concluded following numerous complaints that it had become nearly impossible to purchase tickets online for the Colosseum. The mass ticket purchases by the tour operators contributed to the rapid disappearance of tickets from the CoopCulture website.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.