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Italian authority levies hefty fines against Colosseum ticketing agencies

Published: 08 Apr. 2025, 21:38

Tourists wait in a queue to enter the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Aug. 6, 2021. [AP/YONHAP]

Italy’s competition authority on Tuesday levied fines totaling 20 million euros ($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, was hit with 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 tour guides or line-skipping, the authority also known as AGCM said in a statement.

Six tour operators based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were also 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 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 landmark's main floor.

The director of the Colosseum declined to comment on the fines through his office.

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

AP