Panic in Spain as fury grows over ‘impossible’ October 1 tourist rules | World | News

Thousands of people in the tourism industry in Spain are demanding the government freeze a new decree coming into effect on October 1.

The new rule, formally known as Royal Decree 933/2021, will force private rental accommodations and hotels to collect sensitive ‘reservation data’ from tourists.

The new law has raised privacy concerns and fears over an increased workload on the tourism industry. Many are also worried that it will put Spain at a “disadvantage” as a tourist destination in Europe.

While British tourists are used to handing over a copy of their passport, the new rule requires visitors to provide far more extensive p[personal information including their bank account and card numbers, on arrival at their accommodation. The rule, which comes into effect in eight days, was first announced months ago by Spanish authorities.

Now major tourism groups in Spain have joined forces, warning the government to freeze the law, claiming it is simply “impossible to comply with”.

Business leaders have made it clear that hotels, tourism flats, caravan parks, and hostels will be unable to cope with the added work that the new law imposes.

They also complain that the new rule is an affront to people’s civil liberties and even violates EU guidance.

The Tourism Council of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations has joined forces with several other major tourism organisations, including the Business Federation of Territorial Associations of Spanish Travel Agencies (FETAVE), the National Union of Travel Agencies (UNAV) and the Corporate Association of Specialised Travel Agencies (ACAVe).

In a joint letter, the associations warn the new rule could have “significant negative consequences for the tourism sector in Spain as it is a rule that is impossible to comply with”.

The Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV) is backing calls for a moratorium on the rule. CEAV called for changes to the law to “guarantee the competitiveness of the Spanish tourism sector against tour operators from other countries and avoid a disproportionate burden on companies in the tourism sector”.

The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) has also condemned the new rule and criticised the government for refusing to disclose more information about its enforcement, as October 1 nears.

CEHAT represents more than 16,000 venues providing some 1.8 million beds nationwide.

A spokesman for CEHAT said: “There is widespread confusion regarding what data is required and how to submit it. It is impossible to automate the process and it would involve additional and disproportionate manual work for establishments and a considerable increase in errors.”

CEHAT said they are concerned about “the chaos that its implementation would produce due to the impossibility of compliance”.

There are also fears that British tourists and others will simply opt for different countries, claiming the new rule puts Spain at a “competitive disadvantage”.

Spain’s Interior Ministry has said that the introduction of the new regulations had already been postponed several times to allow the tourism industry time to prepare.

They insisted that the new law would make the country safer.

The ministry said they wanted to know who and when is staying in hotels and apartment complexes across the country, claiming it is a tool against terrorism and organised crime.