Italian authority levies hefty fines against Roman Colosseum ticketing agencies

Tourists wait in a queue to enter the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, File)

ROME — Italy’s competition authority on Tuesday levied fines totaling 20 million euros (US$22 million) against half a dozen ticketing agencies for practices that have made it difficult for regular visitors to buy basic tickets online to visit the landmark Roman Colosseum.

The Cooperative Culture Society, which managed ticket sales for the Colosseum from 1997 to 2024, received the largest portion of the overall fine with 7 million euros. The fine was for a series of practices that forced tourists to buy tickets at significantly higher prices from platforms that added services such a tour guides or line skipping, the authority also know as AGCM said in a statement.

Six tour operators based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were additionally fined for using bots and other automated systems to buy up large quantities of tickets, making them unavailable for individual tourists.

The authority did not list the mark-ups, but the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum which is operated by the Italian Culture Ministry, lists the price for access to the ancient Roman arena at 18 euros for adults. For that price, visitors may spend 20 minutes on the Colosseum’s main floor.

The Colosseum director declined to comment on the fines, his office said.

It said the Colosseum was Italy’s most-visited monument in 2023, with over 12.3 million visitors.

The Associated Press