Latest bookings to be subject to EU market power regulations

Booking.com, one of the world’s largest online travel agencies, has been designated as a gatekeeper under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This means that the platform will now face regulation under the bloc’s market fairness and contestability framework, with the risk of major fines for non-compliance.

The DMA requires designated platforms to comply with a set of rules aimed at promoting fair competition and consumer choice. Booking.com has been given six months to meet these requirements, including rules such as offering fair terms and conditions for business users and prohibiting self-preferencing. The platform must also inform the EU of any planned acquisitions.

The European Commission believes that designating Booking.com as a gatekeeper will benefit holidaymakers by increasing choice and providing more business opportunities for hotels. Margrethe Vestager, the Commission’s competition chief, stated that consumers will benefit from more options while businesses will have increased opportunities for growth.

Booking.com is the seventh company to be designated as a gatekeeper under the DMA, joining tech giants like Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. The platform crossed the threshold for designation on March 1, triggering a review process by the Commission that ultimately led to today’s decision.

In response to the designation, a Booking.com spokesperson stated that the company has been working with the European Commission and is reviewing the decision. Meanwhile, the Commission has decided not to designate the ads platforms of social networking sites TikTok and X as core platform services under the DMA, but has opened an investigation into whether X’s social networking platform should be included. The investigation is expected to be completed within five months.