A YouTuber who produces videos dedicated to Benidorm has weighed in on a controversial Spanish law that could be “completely disastrous” for the tourism industry.
The law, set to be introduced in December this year, will require UK tourists to provide 43 pieces of information when they check into an apartment or hotel in Spain.
Among them would be an expectation to hand over the likes of their bank details and the the level of surveillance has seen comparisons to George Orwell’s 1984.
Since the backlash, though, the Spanish government has postponed any changes – but hasn’t ruled them out in the future.
Lucy Young, aka The Benidorm Enthusiast, who runs the ‘Benidorm Stuff‘ YouTube channel, has weighed in on the law, claiming that most tourists are “completely against” the move.
She said: “From what I’ve seen online already, it seems most tourists are completely against this and I completely get it. I just don’t see why they would need to store anybody’s bank details.”
She continued: “And where will it all be stored? Is it safe and secure? Who will have access to it? In my experience, Spain can be quite far behind when it comes to technology.
“So, creating a database where so much personal data and information is stored together could be an absolute dream for terrorists and organised crime gangs.”
Lucy added: “It could be completely disastrous for the tourism industry here, the main industry which most of Spain relies on. It is bonkers, if you ask me, complete overkill.”
She claimed that anyone who hacked into the database would have everything they require to steal cash and people’s identities, saying that the possibilities are “scary and don’t even bear thinking about”.
The Spanish government has claimed that the new measures will boost safety and allow the Ministry of Interior to know where people are staying and keep tabs on terrorists and gangs.
But, Lucy said: “And I personally don’t really trust in the Spanish government to keep all that data safe and secure. Some people have even stated they will boycott Spain if this comes into effect and I get that too.”
The hotel industry reportedly has concerns that the measures would increase staff workloads and dissuade people from visiting Spain as they may be unwilling to provide the extra personal information.
Car firms will collect 64 details, with accommodations collecting 43. The details include email addresses, credit card numbers, check-in and out times, bank details, addresses, phone numbers, and the relationships between guests.
The interior ministry of Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the register was needed “because of the need to guarantee public security in the face of terrorist threats and other crimes committed by terrorist organisations”.
Congress is set to vote on suspending the so-called ‘Big Brother Tourism’, reports Forbes.
It is scheduled to come into effect on December 2, but the People’s Party Group has highlighted in a proposal gathered by Europa Press that the introduction of the text “represents serious disadvantages” for tourism and adherence is “unfeasible” in its current form.
However, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has liaised with a number of associations and pledged to them that no more data than is already collected would be necessary. The Minister said this would be later set out in a ministerial order.
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