Hostile actions taken by Spain towards vacationers in numerous locations over the previous yr are making it more and more onerous to consider that the nation nonetheless values its tourism trade.
First, Barcelona raised vacationer taxes a number of occasions inside a single yr. Then, greater than 10,000 vacationer residences have been banned. Now, the federal government plans to gather as much as 18 new private particulars from vacationers beginning December 2—doubtlessly jeopardizing EU information safety laws.
This measure was initially scheduled to be carried out on October 1, however it needed to be postponed as a result of most lodges did not improve their programs in time.
It’s essential to grasp that the Spanish Confederation of Lodges and Vacationer Lodging (CEHAT) has voiced its categorical opposition to the measure.
Antonio Presencio, President of Horeca Hoteles Zaragoza, defined that the Ministry of the Inside’s request conflicts with a sequence of European Union laws, placing the hospitality sector between a rock and a tough place because of the authorized uncertainty surrounding complying with this new measure.
Up till now, when vacationers check-in to a resort or lodging in Spain, they know they need to present private info corresponding to their nationwide ID, passport and even some bank card particulars.
However from December, vacationers can even have to offer 18 new information factors, together with fee strategies, monetary transactions, house tackle and even the character of their relationship with the folks they’re sharing a room with—significantly?
Presencio warns that accumulating such delicate information might jeopardize companies, as any safety breaches would depart lodges—that are privately owned enterprises—legally accountable for defending this info.
The brand new controversial regulation stems from a modification of Royal Decree 933/2021, which dictates the vacationer information that lodging in Spain should gather and undergo the police every day.
The implementation of this regulation not solely locations monetary pressure on the sector because of the surprising want for tech investments but in addition imposes a “disproportionate administrative burden,” which interprets right into a “aggressive drawback” in comparison with different lodging that aren’t compelled to adjust to this mandate, explains Presencio.
In the identical vein, CEHAT, which represents 16,000 hospitality companies throughout Spain, argues that the issue just isn’t the tech adaptation however quite the “incompatibility with the truth of the tourism trade” and the “authorized insecurity” that implementing such a measure might convey.
The group clarifies that the European Union has additionally expressed opposition to this measure, because it requires lodges to share extremely delicate visitor info with authorities by way of a brand new software.
CEHAT went on to precise considerations that stretch past lodges and lodging, indicating that this measure can also be negatively impacting vacationer brokers and vacationer platforms.
Thankfully, in as we speak’s ultra-connected world, vacationers can merely select locations the place they really feel extra comfy and aren’t bothered by such laws.
