In May, the European Union announced that Booking.com would have to follow strict rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the future. The reason is that the travel portal is so large – with more than 60 percent of the market share in Europe – that it is considered a “gatekeeper.”
The Dutch company is the first European company to be affected by the DMA regulations.
– Better for consumers
The changes mean Booking.com should open up to more competition and make it easier for consumers to switch between different providers, the NTB wrote in May.
According to EU requirements, the travel portal is obliged to allow hotels to have lower prices on their websites than Booking.com.
According to the European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, this will lead to better prices and choices for consumers in Europe.
– Holidaymakers will benefit from more freedom of choice and hotels will have more business opportunities. Following our decision, Booking.com is now part of the core platforms that must follow the DMA rules, Vestager said in a statement. Canary newspaper.
Strong disturbance: ended up in the luggage rack
Not satisfied
Reverse Financial Times Booking.com responds, calling it a “stupid burden” imposed by regulators and saying it puts them at a competitive disadvantage.
“I believe in giving consumers the best prices. Any requirements that prevent us from offering them, I consider stupid,” he said at the TNW technology conference in the Netherlands last week.
The company now has six months to file these measures.
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