From today, new rules for tourists come into force in Spain – travel agencies, as well as owners of all accommodations, are obliged to provide complete information about their foreign guests. It must include: names, gender, ID number, nationality, date of birth, address, phone, email, number of travelers and their children.
The information will be provided to the authorities via a mobile application.
The measure aims at a more effective fight against crime. Spanish authorities have identified the entry of more than 18,500 potentially dangerous foreigners in recent years.
Everyone working in the tourism industry considers the new measure as aggravating their activities, as well as violating the privacy of foreign tourists. Some sectors of the travel industry are considering legal action over the new measure. An interesting question is the extent to which the collection of such information in one place is legal, given the General European Data Protection Regulation GDPR.