Spain to fine Booking nearly €500M for elbowing out smaller firms

The parent company of Amsterdam-based Booking.com faces a record fine from Spain’s antitrust watchdog, as Europe steps up its efforts to crack down on tech giants and create breathing room for smaller companies. Following a probe launched in 2022, Spain’s National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has found Booking Holdings guilty of anti-competitive practices, the online travel giant said in a statement on Thursday.  The alleged infringements include preventing local hotel groups from offering deals that are cheaper on their own sites than the price they offer on booking.com.  Booking faces a provisional penalty of €486mn, in what would be…

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