The growing influence of competition law in tourism Rosaria Garozzo1 I. Overview. – II. The European framework. – III. ICA’s Advocacy activity. – IV. ICA Investigations. – V. Conclusion. The article explores the growing influence of competition law in the European tourism sector, highlighting its economic importance and the European Commission’s policies to foster sustainable and competitive tourism. It details the Italian Competition Authority’s (ICA) efforts to address anti-competitive practices, particularly in maritime concessions and the sector of online intermediation of tourist services. Critical cases include Ryanair’s restrictive practices against online travel agencies and Booking.com’s alleged abuse of its dominant market position. These interventions ensure transparency, fair competition, and efficient resource use in the tourism industry. Keywords: Competition Law, Tourism Sector, European Commission, Sustainable Tourism, Italian Competition Authority (ICA), online travel agencies (OTAs), Ryanair. Booking.com, dominant position. I. OVERVIEW Tourism, by the wide definition of World Tourism Organization (WTO)2, involves several activities and different subjects, such as consumers or users of services, companies operating in the hospitality, transport, cultural and environmental services, as well as professionals acting as intermediaries between supply and demand, such as travel agencies. DOI 10.60559/ijtthl2025-011 1 Disclaimer: Rosaria Garozzo works for the Italian Competition Authority – Legal Directorate - The views contained in this article are personal opinions and do not in any way represent the Institution. 2 The World Tourism Organization (WTO) defines tourism as “traveling to countries other than the one in which one has habitual residence, outside one’s daily environment, for a period of at least one night, but not exceeding one year and whose usual purpose is different from the exercise of any remunerated activity within the visited country”: Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted by the WTO in Santiago de Chile on 1 November 1999.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTE4NzM5Nw==