Spain warned new rules for UK tourists from October could 'breach their rights'

Spain warned new rules for UK tourists from October could 'breach their rights'
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Spain has been warned new tourism rules for UK holidaymakers and visiting Britons could actually BREACH their rights. The new Big Brother style rules in the European Union holiday hotspot would require Brits to pass on more details to hotels.

Spanish hotels, travel agencies and vehicle rental companies must provide extra details about tourists under new government rules. Brits must provide up to 18 extra details about tourists under the government rules which are due to come in to force from Tuesday 1 October.

The Confederation of Spanish Hoteliers and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), which represents 16,000 tourist establishments, said the regulations would cause “chaos” and “puts the viability of the sector in serious danger”. “The collection and storage of data, as proposed, does not respect the principles of proportionality and minimisation, which could generate sanctions, legal actions and greater legal uncertainty for the obligated subjects,” it said in a statement.

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“Furthermore, the regulations imply a significant interference in the privacy rights of tourists and users without offering clear safeguards, limiting massive data collection to specific and justified cases.” Maria Frontera, president of the Mallorcan Federation of Hoteliers, told i : “We demand that the government changes and reforms these rules and delays their enforcement until we have reached an agreement.”

CEHAT described the new rules as “very inefficient” but Spain’s Interior Ministry has said the new regulations had been delayed repeatedly to give the tourist sector time to prepare ahead of the tenth month of the year, which begins next week.

The regulations are designed to help protect the public from terrorism and organised crime, a spokesman added. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry said: “The regulation respects the principle of efficiency, proportionality, judicial security and transparency.

“It is justified for the general interest for the security of citizens against the threat of terrorism and other serious offences committed by criminal organisations.”