Brits across the country are set to boycott Spain ahead of tomorrow’s new travel rules after a 31-point rule that has sparked fury.
Anyone who is 14 or above will have to provide a breadth of information, with up to 31 additional details including their names and surnames, ID numbers, home address and email addresses, telephone numbers, card details, passport number and account numbers.
The changes will mean children under 14 will not need to provide the information, but adults travelling with them must explain their relationship with them.
The Ministry of Interior says the plans will help to “fight terrorism and organised crime” by keeping comprehensive tabs on the people entering the country.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry previously said: “It is justified for the general interest for the security of citizens against the threat of terrorism and other serious offences committed by criminal organisations.”
However, business owners and hoteliers are worried they will have to shoulder the inevitable backlash.
The country’s leading hotel association, CEHAT, said these new travel rules threaten to “hinder the experience of millions of visitors who choose Spain as a destination”.
Millions of Brits are now up in arms over the new rules with many thinking of taking their hospitality elsewhere.
One Brit told GB news: “Spent many years going to Spain, but never again. If you are not wanted then you are not welcome, and who wants to go to places you are not welcome in.”
Another commenter said: “I won’t be visiting… It’s an absolute joke.”
Javier Jiménez, who owns several tourist lets in Vega de Santa María in Ávila, says he doesn’t understand why he has to ask customers for so much data “when this does not happen in other sectors”. He also criticised the lack of on-hand support for holiday landlords, telling COPE: “We don’t know anything and nobody has bothered to explain it to us.”
As it stands, Spain is the only EU country where hospitality owners must send tourists’ ID and passport information to the police rather than keeping the data themselves.