Identifying Anti-Competitive Practices in Tourism Market, Case Study: Travel and Tourism Services Agencies in Tehran

Anti-competitive practices in the tourism market can be examined from two perspectives of marketing and competition law. Despite the importance of the issue, little attention has been paid to it, and only a few relevant studies have been conducted in Iran. The present study examines the anti-competitive practices in the travel and tourism services market in Iran and particularly among Tehran's travel agencies. To conduct this research, a semi-structured interview method, one of the important qualitative research tools, has been used. The statistical population of the research includes managers and experts in the field of tourism services and experts in the field of competition and competition law. By using the interpretive analysis method, the content of interviews has been reviewed and analyzed. According to the objectives of the research and coding process, the components were extracted and explained. The results indicate that there are instances of unilateral and multilateral anticompetitive practices in the market under study. The intensity of these procedures varies depending on being a retailer or wholesaler. Finally, several recommendations have been made.