Travel groups warn against the enforcement of the Spanish date rule

Travel associations have urged the Spanish government to suspend enforcement of a new regulation forcing travel companies to collect comprehensive traveler data from December 2.

The regulation, known as Royal Decree 933/2021, requires travel agencies, hotels and car rental companies to report data on travelers visiting Spain. This includes telephone numbers, email contacts, details of family relationships and payment methods used.

The decree was original introduced in January 2023 but an “adjustment period” that delays its implementation has been extended several times in the past two years. The government currently plans to start enforcing the decree from December 2, despite strong opposition from the Spanish Parliament and Senate.

The European Associations of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (ECTAA), together with the Spanish travel agency organization ACAVE, have warned about the “seriousness of this regulation”.

In a joint statement, the groups said: “Travel agencies, tourist accommodation and car rental companies will have to provide the Home Office with more than 40 pieces of information for accommodation bookings and more than 60 for car rental bookings. are sensitive personal data.

“This scheme has been developed by the Ministry of the Interior with the aim of increasing security and giving the police more information about travelers entering and passing through Spain. However, the volume of data requested is excessive and could breach data protection regulations.”

ECTAA and ACAVE warn of “serious consequences for the European tourism market and the protection of travellers’ personal data” if the government does not suspend enforcement of the decree. They also claim that this could also constitute “a breach of European data protection law”.