Spain's new travel rules raise hackles over privacy

Madrid: Spain has introduced new rules requiring rental properties and car rental firms to collect more personal information about their customers, ra...

Madrid: Spain has introduced new rules requiring rental properties and car rental firms to collect more personal information about their customers, raising privacy concerns and complaints of excessive bureaucracy.

The new system which came into effect on Monday requires hotels, camp sites and other lodgings as well as travel agencies and car rental agencies to provide "specific" information on their customers to the government via a digital platform.

The goal is to boost security and the "fight against terrorism and organised crime", the interior ministry said in a statement. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 30,000 euros ($31,500), it added.

Hotels and other tourism establishments already had to provide the authorities with the name, email and passport number of their clients but they are now required to collect much more information such as their birthday, telephone number and methods of payment as well.

Many tourism sector bodies consider the requirements excessive. They complain they must collect over 40 pieces of information about their clients when it comes to lodging, and over 60 regarding car rentals.