Laurence Dollimore
SPAIN’s so-called ‘Big Brother’ law for tourists has been delayed following outcry from industry leaders across the country.
The legislation had been scheduled to come into force on October 1 but had to be pushed back because hotels and car hire companies were not prepared to implement the changes.
Under the new law, all tourists must provide an exhaustive list of personal details to their hotel, campsite or any other type of accommodation complex, as well as car hire firms.
This includes their full name, banking details, address, telephone number, email and their ID documents, including passport and/or driving licence.
The law applies to whether the person is staying for one night or several weeks.
The hotel or accommodation is also required to keep records of when guests arrive and leave, the number of rooms they have and whether or not they accessed the internet.
But industry leaders complained this would place ‘already busy’ hotel staff under more strain.
It has led the Interior Ministry to push back the start date of the law to December 2.
However it has warned companies that the law will start on that date with or without fail.
In a statement it said companies will be fined up to €30,000 if they are found to be flouting the new rules.
It comes after hoteliers said they could put off tourists who may not feel comfortable handing over such personal information.
The information required from each guest, even if they are children, are: First and last names; date of birth, gender and nationality; home address; landline and mobile number; email address; number of travellers in their group; bank account number and cardholder.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said with millions of tourists visiting each year, the changes will make the country safer.
It added that it wants to be aware of who is staying in hotel and apartment complexes across the country.
