Spain’s Minister of the Interior has ignored appeals to postpone the introduction of the new Travellers’ Register, which will come into force next Monday, 2nd December.
The register will require providers of accommodation and car hire companies to give 18 pieces of information about clients, which the Spanish government claims is necessary to fight crime and terrorism. However, hoteliers associations and travel agents have requested that the register be shelved or amended
A register already exists, with owners of accommodation and online platforms providing information voluntarily, and Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain’s Interior Minister, claims the information has already led to the issue of over 18,000 search and arrest orders.
Hoteliers federations, however, are planning a legal challenge to the register on the grounds that it goes against privacy and data-protection laws.
In practice, the register is little different to existing requirements to inform the police of guests, and tourists themselves are likely to experience little inconvenience apart from a slightly longer check-in time. It will affect anyone providing accommodation in Spain, and thus applies to holiday rental owners.
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