Tourists have used a clever response to battle a controversial new security law recently implemented in Spain.
The legislation, Royal Decree 933/2021, mandates individuals over the age of 14 to provide a comprehensive set of personal details to hotels, rentals, taxis, and campsites, as per the i newspaper.
This means Spanish hotels are now obliged to gather guests‘ names, nationalities, genders, passport numbers, addresses, contact numbers, email addresses, and dates of birth.
Additionally, tourists looking to hire vehicles must also divulge their driving licence details and GPS data. However, the law has sparked privacy concerns, with suggestions that it could put Spain at a disadvantage.
The regulations were enforced in Málaga on Monday, but reports indicate that some visitors are outright refusing to submit their information as demanded by the Royal decree.
Javier Hernández, executive vice president of the Costa del Sol hotel association (Aehcos), commented: “We have guests who refuse to provide us with data.”
Those tourists objected to revealing details such as bank and credit card numbers or familial ties with children under 14 within their party, using an astute explanation for their refusal.
El Debate noted that the guests were “surprised and puzzled” by the request and argued that it infringes upon data protection laws, with Aehcos noting that the registration process requires surrendering up to 46 pieces of personal data, reports the Express.
Spain’s Interior Ministry had previously claimed the legislation would bolster national security and assist in combating organised crime and terrorism, as it wished to know who’s staying within the nation’s hotels and apartments.
However, the new ses.hospedajes registration system seems to be having a few problems, as reported by Hernández, who noted “incidents” during the initial hours of its operation.
The problems included a “lack of operability” in the morning, with some places having periods of inactivity and not being able to register to send information, although they only had a 24-hour deadline.
Another issue that has emerged is that some hotels have been having problems with the PMS (Property Management Systems) – used to register the guests.
Firms have voiced concerns, citing “six months” could be needed to introduce an automated process.
In addition, Hotel owners have indicated that they must adhere to a “confusing and disproportionate” regulation that allegedly breaches European directives.