Spain has introduced new rules requiring property and car rental companies to collect more personal information about their customers, sparking privacy concerns and complaints of excessive red tape.
The new system, which came into force on Monday, requires hotels, campsites and other accommodation, as well as travel and car rental agencies, to provide the government with “specific” information about their customers through a digital platform.
The aim is to strengthen security and “the fight against terrorism and organized crime”, the interior ministry said in a statement. Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to 30,000 euros ($31,500), the notice added.
Hotels and other travel establishments were already required to provide the authorities with the name, email address and passport number of their customers, but now they are required to collect much more information, such as date of birth, phone number and payment methods.
Many tourism sector bodies consider the requirements excessive. They complain that they have to collect more than 40 pieces of information about their customers when it comes to accommodation and more than 60 pieces for car rentals.
“We are faced with an unfortunate and incomprehensible decree,” Juan Molas, president of the Spanish Tourism Board, said in a statement.
The Confederation of Spanish Hoteliers and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) said it was concerned about the impact on its members’ businesses and was considering legal action to challenge the rules.
“Private lives of people are not respected,” said the general secretary of the organization, Ramon Estalella, in a video message.
“To ask for that data, to transfer that data, to keep it for three years, we think it’s a huge risk for all intents and purposes, especially for personal data protection,” he added.
The Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV) warned in a letter sent to the tourism and interior ministers that the “disproportionate rule” could scare away tourists, adding that many firms could not afford the cost of the system.
The new rules were due to come into effect on October 1, but the government pushed back the date to give industry more time to prepare.
Spain is the second most visited country in the world after France, with a record 85.1 million international visitors in 2023. This sector accounts for 12.8 percent of the country’s economy.
