“The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation against Società Cooperativa Culture (CoopCulture), Musement, GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Viator for the ticket sales service for the entrance to the Colosseum Archaeological Park, which includes the areas of the Flavian-Colosseum Amphitheater, the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Domus Aurea.
According to the Authority, consumers would not be able to buy tickets on the website of the official retailer CoopCulture because they would be bought in bulk from secondary retailers.
According to various press sources, since the end of 2022 and in the first half of 2023, tickets for the entrance to the Colosseum sold out immediately after being issued on the CoopCulture website, while they remained available on the platforms of large brokerage operators (Musement, GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Viator) which presumably buy them in bulk thanks to the use of automatic purchasing systems (the so-called “bots”). Afterwards the tickets are resold at a higher price on their channels, usually in combination with other services, such as the audio guide (in various languages in addition to Italian), the tour guide service, the pick-up at the hotel, the sightseeing tour of the city, the possibility of “skipping” the line.
Therefore, CoopCulture, as an official retailer, does not seem to have set up suitable systems to prevent the hoarding of tickets offered for sale by alternative retailers, thus depriving consumers of the possibility of purchasing tickets at the ordinary price”.
We will keep you informed on the next developments of the procedure. Meanwhile, it’s likely that CoopCulture will soon arrange some kind of remedial measure.
