Booking is more than ever in the sights of the European Union: the tourism giant risks big if it does not comply

The European travel heavyweight, Booking.com, is now subject to the famous Digital Markets Act, the new European regulation which wants to contain the digital giants. The group now has six months to comply.

Although it entered fully into force on March 6, 2024, the DMA regulation (Digital Markets Act) is not yet truly imposed on everyone. The text, which imposes new obligations and prohibitions on digital markets within the European Union, in particular by combating abuse of a dominant position, only applies for the moment to Google, Apple, Meta (Facebook ), Amazon, Microsoft and ByteDance (TikTok). This Monday, May 13, the European Commission added a new player to this list, namely Booking, a well-known Dutch online tourism juggernaut, which will quickly have to comply.

Booking.com must now follow the obligations and prohibitions of the new European regulatory text

Brussels has decided to push Booking.com to join the list of famous “gatekeepers”. As a reminder, these access controllers are companies which make a certain turnover in Europe (at least 7.5 billion euros per year), which have a large number of users (more than 45 million on the Old Continent), or which provide one or more essential services in at least three European countries.

The European Commission, which examined the information transmitted by the travel giant, indicates that the latter “ meets relevant thresholds “, and that it indeed constitutes ” an important bridge between businesses and consumers “.

Booking.com, in its new capacity as access controller under the Digital Markets Actnow has one semester, or six months, to comply with the new obligations of the European text, which should result in greater freedom of choice for consumers.

Better to comply with the DMA, under penalty of very heavy financial penalties

Booking Holdings, the company at the head of the accommodation and tourism site, will nevertheless have to show its credentials immediately, particularly with regard to the obligation to inform the European Union of any proposed concentration or acquisition in the digital sector.

Among the obligations that “speak” most to users, imposed by the DMA on digital giants, we can mention that of making instant messaging interoperable with competitors; the end of the default search engine or the ban on imposing a web browser on users.

Concerning Booking, like the other companies concerned, violating the DMA can have serious consequences. The site faces a fine of up to 10% of its global turnover, and 20% in the event of a repeat offense. Penalties of up to 5% of global daily turnover may also be imposed. And if the company is guilty of three breaches in eight years, it could be punished even more harshly, with a ban on acquisitions, or the sale of an activity for example. It is therefore better to show your credentials until the end.

Sources: European CommissionClubic