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Culture, Tourism Committee of Saudi-Omani Coordination Council Holds 1st Meeting

Officials from the Saudi and Omani culture ministries attended the meeting - SPA
Officials from the Saudi and Omani culture ministries attended the meeting - SPA
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Culture, Tourism Committee of Saudi-Omani Coordination Council Holds 1st Meeting

Officials from the Saudi and Omani culture ministries attended the meeting - SPA
Officials from the Saudi and Omani culture ministries attended the meeting - SPA

The culture, media, tourism, and social development committee of the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council held its first-ever meeting on Wednesday in Muscat.

The undersecretary of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture for International Cultural Relations Fahd bin Abdulrahman Al-Kanaan, co-chaired the meeting alongside Sayyid Said Sultan al-Busaidi, the undersecretary of Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture.
Officials from the Saudi and Omani culture ministries attended the meeting, SPA reported.

The two sides held discussions on issues of mutual concern to agree on recommendations and initiatives that serve culture, tourism, health, media, sports, education, human resources, and social development in both countries.

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Italy Fines Tour Operators Almost 20 Mln Euros over Colosseum Tickets Hoarding 

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter herself from the sun as she sits near the Colosseum amid a heatwave in Rome, Italy, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter herself from the sun as she sits near the Colosseum amid a heatwave in Rome, Italy, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Italy Fines Tour Operators Almost 20 Mln Euros over Colosseum Tickets Hoarding 

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter herself from the sun as she sits near the Colosseum amid a heatwave in Rome, Italy, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter herself from the sun as she sits near the Colosseum amid a heatwave in Rome, Italy, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Italy's antitrust authority has fined a ticketing company and six tour operators nearly 20 million euros ($21.7 million) for ticket hoarding practices limiting access to the Roman Colosseum, the regulator said on Monday.

The AGCM authority said it had fined CoopCulture, which managed official ticket sales for the Colosseum from 1997-2024, 7 million euros for failing to prevent automated ticket hoarding and for reserving a large share of tickets for its own guided tour packages.

The AGCM said this conduct led to the "substantial and prolonged unavailability" of standard-priced tickets for Italy's most popular tourist attraction, forcing consumers to purchase higher-priced tickets bundled with additional services.

Six tour operators - Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited, and Musement S.p.A. - were also fined for using software robots (bots) to buy tickets in bulk, contributing to their rapid disappearance from CoopCulture's website.

The operators then resold the tickets bundled with services such as guided tours or priority access, often at significantly higher prices, the regulator said.

The investigation began in July 2023 after widespread complaints that it was nearly impossible for consumers to buy tickets to the Colosseum at official prices online.