Critics say new rules will ‘create chaos’ (Photo: Getty Images)
vacationers visiting spain ‘ will come under further scrutiny with new legislation likened to ‘.brother‘requires hotels to collect personal data about tourists.
The new rules, which will come into effect on Monday December 2, will require hotels, travel agents, car rental companies and accommodation apps to collect the following information: vacationer.
Hotels in Spain are currently asking guests to provide identification. passport Details are tight, but the new legislation, which is expected to be the strictest rules in the EU, will require companies to collect up to 31 pieces of data.
This applies to anyone over the age of 14 and includes the person’s name, genderNationality, passport number, date of birth, home address, mobile phone number, email address.
The information must then be uploaded to a platform where it can be shared with Spanish security forces.
Anyone under the age of 14 does not need to provide any information, but adults traveling with you will need to explain their relationship to you.
The new rules will come into effect from Monday 2 December. (Photo: Getty Images/Westend61)
The Spanish government defended its decision on the new regulations, saying it was intended to ‘crack down on organized crime’.
However, Cehat, the country’s leading hotel association, opposed the new regulations. Ramón Eestella, the group’s secretary-general, said: ‘It’s like “Big Brother”. That would be crazy and cause chaos.’
Cehat has now launched a legal challenge to the rules. The group has said it will work with the government to ensure security, but is concerned about breaches of customer privacy.
It said the new obligations could breach the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and could result in fines much higher than the proposed 30,000 euros (£25,000) for failure to comply with the law.
Spain, including its capital Madrid, is loved by British tourists. (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Estelella told The Telegraph that Spain is already the only country in the EU where hotels are required to send guests’ ID details to the police.
“Not only could this violate fundamental privacy rights, it also risks complicating and disrupting the experience of the millions of visitors who have chosen Spain as their destination,” Cehat said in a statement.
The group also said there would be significant delays in tourists checking into their hotels, especially during peak hours.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said in October that the new rules ‘balance all considerations, including the right to privacy and the need to protect the safety of society as a whole.’
It followed a year of anti-tourism protests in Spain and across Europe. (Photo: Getty Images)
This is over a year Protest against over-tourism Spain and all over Europe. In October, thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Madrid to protest against housing extortion and the impact of vacation rental sites such as Airbnb.
There were numerous protests in Barcelona this year as well. In the summer, protesters armed with water guns demanded that ‘tourists go home’, and in November, 22,000 people demonstrated demanding lower housing prices.
Popular holiday destinations such as the Canary Islands have repeatedly spoken out against overtourism.
For example, in Playa de las Americas, Tenerife, in September, protesters appeared on the beach while tourists sunbathed, chanting ‘This beach is ours!’
Do you have a story you’d like to share?
Contact us by email [email protected].
More arrows: This Yorkshire ‘dustbin’ with no ‘redempting qualities’ is the city to visit in 2025
More arrows: Iconic French tourist attraction ‘rises from the ashes’ after £706,283,100 restoration
More arrows: Real Madrid manager crashes on major highway after Liverpool match
getaway
Fuel your wanderlust with travel products, guides and inspiration.
