Spain launches its draconian ‘Big Brother’ rules that will force hotels to collect data on British tourists, including family details and bank cards, and pass it on to security forces

The Spanish government is introducing new rules requiring hotels to collect personal data about tourists – including family details, bank cards and addresses – and hand it over to security services.

Spanish hotels already ask guests for their identity card or passport details, but the new rules are expected to be the strictest in the EU, with up to 31 pieces of personal data collected.

The legislation will come into force from Monday and will require tour operators, holiday rental platforms and car rental companies to collect data on customers.

All information must then be uploaded to a platform to share with the Spanish security forces.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the rules were needed to tackle organized crime.

Hospitality bosses have labeled the rules as draconian. “It’s like ‘Big Brother’: it’s crazy and it will cause chaos,” said Ramón Estalella, the head of the country’s largest hotel association, Cehat.

The group has now launched a legal challenge over the rules, saying that while its members are committed to cooperating with the government on security, they are concerned about breaching customer privacy.

It said the obligations could force companies to breach the EU’s GDPR data protection laws.

Hotels could face fines for this, Cehat said, which could be higher than the government’s proposed fine of 30,000 euros (£25,000) for failing to comply with the decree.

Speak with The TelegraphEstalella pointed out that Spain is already the only country that requires hoteliers to send guests’ identity data to the police.

He added that it brings unrealistic expectations, such as requiring car rental companies to know the registration of the car the customer will drive.

“Not only could it violate fundamental privacy rights, but it also threatens to complicate and hinder the experience of millions of visitors who choose Spain as a destination,” Cehat said in a statement.

The tourism sector contributes 12 percent to Spain’s GDP, and this move has led to fears that tourists will choose to go elsewhere

The group has also argued that this could cause significant delays to people’s holidays, for example when they try to check in during busy times.

The tourism sector contributes 12 percent to Spain’s gross domestic product (GDP) and this move has led to fears that tourists may choose to go elsewhere if they do not want to hand over their personal details to the police.

Grande-Marlaska emphasized in October that the new rules had “balanced all considerations, including both the right to privacy and the need to protect the security of society as a whole.”

The rules will come into force next week, after several delays over three years.