French Govt. probing Disneyland Paris over ‘price promotions’

The FT added that for premium packages UK visitors to the park could be paying 1,870 euros (£1,327), compared with 1,346 euros (£955) for French ticketholders and 2,447 euros (£1,736) for German tourists.

About 15 million people visit the theme park every year, making it the 16th most popular tourist destination in the world.

The European Commission confirmed to the BBC that it has received a number of complaints about the pricing policy from residents in the UK, Italy and Germany.

A spokesman for Disneyland Paris said: “‘When purchased directly with Disneyland Paris, the cost of a basic resort package – without promotional offers – is identical across all markets, give or take exchange rates”.

The European Commission is concerned that Disneyland Paris is stopping consumers in a few member states from shopping around for the best deals.

“The European Commission and European Consumer Centres frequently receive consumer complaints involving unjustified differences in treatment on the grounds of nationality or residence”, which is banned under the services directive of EU law, the spokeswoman said.

The French government has now been asked to investigate.

France now has the responsibility to ensure that Disneyland Paris is complying with EU fair trading laws, an EU source said, adding that Brussels was expected to contact Paris about the case.

But customers can only pay for tickets for a promotion for a certain country if their credit or debit card is registered in that country. “It’s an anti-fraud measure”, he said.