Italy is levying hefty fines against Roman Colosseum ticketing agencies for forcing tourists to pay more to visit the famed historic site.
The fines come after an investigation that started in July 2023 following widespread complaints about the impossibility of buying tickets at official prices online, according to the Associated Press.
Tourists looking to visit the Colosseum were forced to buy higher-priced admission fares or spend more for bundled ticket packages that included a guided tour or line skipping.
Italy’s antitrust authority, ACGM, says it has fined a ticketing company and six tour operators nearly €20 million ($21.7 million) for ticket-hoarding practices.
The Cooperative Culture Society, which managed ticket sales for the landmark from 1997 to 2004, received the largest portion of the fine at €7 million ($7.7 million).
ACGM says this ticket hoarding led to the “substantial and prolonged unavailability” of standard-priced tickets to Italy’s most popular tourist attraction.
The Colosseum, built 2,000 years ago, was the biggest amphitheater in the Roman Empire and hosted iconic gladiator fights.
According to the latest official tourism data, almost 13 million people visited the Colosseum in 2023.
