British tourists will be forced to hand over sensitive information every time they visit Spain under a new “Big Brother” law that has caused widespread controversy. The rules which apply from October 1 require hoteliers to hand over tourists’ credit card numbers and contact details to police.
Currently, hotels and apartment blocks make a copy of your passport or identity card which is passed onto officers. The new legislation, however, takes this a step further.
Bank account details and personal addresses may also be requested under the new legislation. The new rule applies to both domestic and foreign tourists.
The new law has been criticised within the Spanish tourist industry amid fears it could break privacy guidelines, despite the Spanish government claiming that it will make the country safer.
The Spanish Ministry for the Interior has said that they wanted to know who and when is staying in hotels and apartment complexes across the country.
Hoteliers have also complained that it will add to the already heavy workloads of their staff. In Majorca, meetings have already been reported to have taken place between the authorities and the hotel industry.
Critics have branded this a “Big Brother” legislation, which could push tourists to go elsewhere because they are unwilling to part with their sensitive information, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
The new rules come as British tourists have already begun to admit they will never holiday on islands such as Majorca again after being made to feel unwelcome amid the mass tourism protests by residents.
In a published letter to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, a tourist wrote: “Myself, my husband and our children and now grandchildren have been holidaying in Majorca for over 20 years and have always loved the island.”
However, she claimed her daughter and son-in-law “were stopped by a female in a car near the Portixol Hotel.” She continued: “The driver asked where our daughter and son-in-law were from. When they answered the UK, she shouted at them ‘Tourists go home’ and drove off at speed.”
The Brit concluded her letter by saying after returning home and reflecting on the event, “with very heavy hearts we feel inclined to find a new destination to visit in the future. We no longer feel welcome on the beautiful island of Majorca.”
The same news outlet also reported in June that roughly 44 percent of people will now think twice before holidaying in Majorca – before many of the protests in Spain had occurred.
As many as 50,000 people across the Canary Islands took part in coordinated protests against excessive tourism, which, the campaigners argue, has damaged the population’s quality of life and the islands’ environment.
In July, a protest in Barcelona, attended by around 3,000 people, saw some hotel exits sealed with tape and tourists sprayed with water guns. Another large protest in Palma coincided with the start of the British school summer holidays on July 21.