I am scheduled to travel to Italy in 2 weeks and this morning I received this email from Liv Tours for my tour of the Colosseum. They say it impacts every third party tour company. If you have booked a Collosseum tour with the Underground, they are saying that the local affiliates there do no longer allow third party companies to sell the underground tickets. I purchased my tour back in February. Letting us know know a couple weeks before means we can't do anything about it. Anyone know if this is across the board or something new? Here's their note to us:
Dear traveler,
We're reaching out to inform you of some important information regarding your Colosseum Underground tour with LivTours.
As of May 1st, we've become official partners of the Colosseum Archaeological Park new administration. Our partnership presents promising opportunities for enhancing our traveler experiences. However, Parco Archeologico has still not released any information regarding their collaboration with tour operators in selling Colosseum Underground tickets.
While tickets to the underground are available on the B2C consumer website - official website link here, it's important to note that tour operators, including ourselves, are currently restricted from purchasing these tickets under the new administration rules. To date, Parco Archeologico has not provided clarity on when or if they will release underground tickets for commercial use.
Please note that this situation is not unique to LivTours, as it affects all official tour operator partners.
To ensure you still have the opportunity to visit the Colosseum, and while we await any further communications from Parco Archeologico, we have immediately taken steps to secure your spot on our Colosseum tour with Arena floor access.This tour remains identical to the original tour booked, minus the 20 minute underground visit.
What you need to know:
Reimbursement of €20 - To compensate for the change, there will be a partial reimbursement of 20 euros per person for the absence of Colosseum Underground tickets.
Confirm your amendment email - An amendment email will be sent to you shortly regarding the change in tour. PLEASE NOTE: There may be a change to the start time of your tour to coordinate with ticketing time slots. It's essential for you to confirm the details outlined in that email. If you have any questions regarding the change/tour time, please respond directly to the amendment email.
In light of this change we would like to advise that you may cancel for a full refund should the alternative tour not be to your satisfaction.
We are actively monitoring the situation, and we share your anticipation for an update. We will be sure to contact you should any new information come available. In either case, we are committed to providing you with an exceptional experience, complete with access to the arena floor and a top-notch, five-star guide.
Thank you for your understanding, and we remain at your disposal should you have any further questions.
Warm regards,