EU-DISNEYLAND PARIS/PRICES EU probes Disneyland Paris over prices for foreign tourists

Record ID: 145785

  • Title: EU-DISNEYLAND PARIS/PRICES EU probes Disneyland Paris over prices for foreign tourists
  • Date: 29th July 2015
  • Summary: MARNE-LA-VALLEE, FRANCE (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE TO DISNEYLAND PARIS DISNEYLAND PARIS EXIT WITH "PLANET HOLLYWOOD" ON BACKGROUND EXTERIOR OF "WORLD OF DISNEY" GIFT SHOP PEOPLE WALKING ON ESPLANADE FACING DISNEYLAND PARIS BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION BUILDING EU FLAGS PEOPLE WALKING BY EU COMMISSION BUILDING EUROPEAN
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAANZD6UXQAA3QV86PE3INQJT6W
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: European Union regulators said on Wednesday (July 29) they are investigating prices charged by Disneyland Paris after complaints from foreign consumers who said they were charged far more than their French counterparts.
    The move by the European Commission is part of a broader crackdown on "geoblocking", the practise of companies limiting or restricting consumers' access to products and services based on the user's geographical location.
    The EU executive says breaking down such unlawful barriers could boost business, particularly in e-commerce, and growth across the 28-country bloc.
    "Single market - so the market without barriers - is really one of the highest values of the European Union and we have to decide whether we want to fight with unjustified barriers of this market or not. We decided to do it and this is just the first case," said European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMES, Elzbieta Bienkowska.
    Consumer lobbying group BEUC welcomed the EU scrutiny.
    "For the European consumer perspective, it is really a welcome step by the European Commission to give this signal that consumers should not be discriminated on basis of their residence. Now, of course, the national consumer protection authorities have to enforce these rights towards the companies and in favour of the consumers and it is important that not only Disneyland Paris is being targeted but that all companies that are engaging into price discrimination are being checked and that also the other consumer rights are being enforced in a proper way," said BEUC Director General Monique Goyens.
    Disneyland Paris, owned by Euro Disney, welcomed 14.2 million people last year, making it Europe's most visited tourist destination. Just under half of visitors were from France. The British made up 16 percent of the total and Germans 3 percent.
    Visitors on the site all disapproved the practise of applying different prices depending on the country of origin.
    "It's not how it should be, it should be, that everybody, if you come from Spain or from Holland or wherever, you pay the same price, and it doesn't need to matter if you come from France, or wherever, that you get a different price. Yeah, it is not right," said Dutch tourist Michael De Boer.
    "That seems a little unfair, you would think that everyone wherever they're from will get charged the same rate for the same thing. Unfortunately it's the way the world is," said British tourist Peter Ellyard.
    Another British tourist, Andrew Blackwell, said he expected transparency on tariffs.
    "It is an expensive time whilst you're here so I think at the very least Disney should make sure that there's transparency between the price tariffs so that everybody is clear what they're paying before they come. Because it's, once you're in there, they've got a captive market as well and so you want to make sure that you get the best you can before you come," he told Reuters Television.
    Disneyland Paris were not immediately available to respond to enquiries.
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