Romania’s Competition Council has fined a number of 13 tour operators and the tour operators’ organisation ANAT with amounts totalling RON 11.4 million (EUR 2.45 million) for having coordinated their commercial behaviour.

From June 2013 to September 2016, a number of 13 tour operators have coordinated their commercial policies, including by exchanging key information for the competition, with the purpose of not allowing the prices to move downward, the competition authority announced. At the same time, they have acted together with the aim of booking all the seats for the charter flights to main tourist destinations thus preventing the promotional campaigns of other tour operators.

One tour operator (Christian Tour) cooperated in the investigations and applied to the immunity programme while other tour operators admitted the deeds and were given 20% lower fines. One of the large tour operators subject to the fine, Happy Tour, claimed that it was not involved and, furthermore, was not operating on the market investigated by the competition body, Economica.net informed.

The competition body fined ANAT for forbidding re-sellers of tourism services from giving discounts to their customers. ANAT admitted the deed and was given a 20% waiver as well.

Romania’s competition body slaps heavy fine on local online retailer

editor@romania-insider.com

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