Björn Borrmann: "The proliferation of deceptive pseudo pages degrades the customer experience, and damages the reputation of Europe’s cultural institutions."
Berlin, Germany - 14 October 2025 - In a landmark collaboration, GetYourGuide, the European Experience Alliance, a consortium representing over a dozen European experience providers, and iconomy, have released a new study exposing the deep-rooted structural biases within online search and advertising ecosystems. The findings demonstrate how third-party actors using so-called deceptive “pseudo pages” systematically exploit structural biases in online search and advertising ecosystems to direct and convert traffic, deceiving consumers, undermining legitimate experience providers, and damaging Europe’s cultural heritage sites.
The report, titled The Rise of Pseudo Pages: Threats to Tourism and Consumer Trust, details how search engines and online advertising platforms, especially those operated by dominant digital players, often give higher visibility to unofficial or deceptive resellers. These “pseudo pages” mimic the appearance of official sites, diverting visitors, inflating prices, and eroding trust in Europe’s most treasured cultural institutions. Case studies from the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Duomo in Milan and Museus e Monumentos de Portugal all illustrate the operational and reputational harm caused by these practices.
The analysis, supported by data from GetYourGuide, reveals that these pseudo pages exploit search algorithms and advertising systems to secure prominent placements outranking official websites of museums, monuments, and heritage sites. The data from real-life experiments show that Google‘s algorithm favors these domains, with up to four times the number of impressions for online ads. As a result, legitimate actors face financial losses, reputational damage, and increased operational burdens, while visitors are misled, overcharged, or denied authentic experiences.
“The proliferation of deceptive pseudo pages degrades the customer experience, and damages the reputation of Europe’s cultural institutions,” said Björn Borrmann, Director of Legal, Public Policy & Governmental Affairs at GetYourGuide. “This phenomenon risks eroding Europe’s tourism brand, which is rooted in quality, authenticity, and accessibility. Stronger enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) is the key to restoring trust between cultural institutions, intermediaries, and consumers. Only by addressing these challenges, we can protect Europe’s cultural heritage, enhance the visitor experience, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the travel experiences sector.”
The study, which can be downloaded by clicking the download button to the left, urges regulators and digital platforms to enforce existing laws and implement effective measures to ensure fairness and transparency in digital markets. It calls for decisive action to protect consumers and preserve the integrity of Europe’s cultural landscape.
The proliferation of deceptive pseudo pages degrades the customer experience, and damages the reputation of Europe’s cultural institutions.
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