Hoteliers criticize

Spain gets serious: what’s changing for holidaymakers

The data that holidaymakers in Spain must provide with immediate effect will be stored for three years.(Bild: EPA)

Holidaymakers in Austria also have to register - with their name, date of birth, address and information on identification documents. But what has long been commonplace in this country has been causing a stir in Spain since December 2. Tourists there are now obliged to provide far more information ...

In addition to the basic data, several telephone numbers, e-mail address, gender and other details must now also be provided in Spain. This applies to all travelers aged 14 and over, even if they are only staying overnight.

Strengthening public safety
With the comprehensive data collection, the country primarily wants to strengthen public security. The aim is to better combat terrorism and organized crime.

Holidaymakers in Spain(Bild: EPA)

We had to act. The previous rules for registration were already 65 years old.

Rafael Pérez Ruiz, Staatssekretär für Sicherheit

Hoteliers heavily criticized
A nuisance that has met with fierce criticism from hoteliers in particular. And not without reason: if holidaymakers do not want to disclose certain data, the consequences will not affect them, but the accommodation. It is hotels, vacation apartments and Airbnb landlords who are liable for incomplete information and, in extreme cases, have to pay fines of up to 30,000 euros.

What happens if a guest provides incomplete or incorrect data - such as the cell phone number 123456789 - also remains open.