Travel expert points out what Spain got wrong with new tourist rules | World | News

British holidaymakers could be particularly impacted by strict new Spanish tourism rules, which got off to a shambolic start on the weekend, a travel expert claims.

Chaotic scenes erupted after the country’s controversial new system for registering traveller information, into which various new pieces of customer data must be entered, crashed at 11.59pm on Sunday, seconds before the new legislation came into effect.

A message informing frustrated users that the website was not “accessible” repeatedly cropped up on computer screens around the country.

Cindy Scott, a travel expert and founder of Cinders Travels, says it’s important to ensure that the system isn’t overly complex and believes British travellers could begin favouring countries with fewer rules. 

“They’re used to flexibility and easy movement, and when that changes, destinations with smoother entry requirements become more appealing,” Scott told Express.co.uk. 

“That shift doesn’t just hurt travellers—it impacts businesses in the countries they visit, from local tour operators to restaurants relying on tourism,” she added. 

Explaining what this new system gets wrong, Scott argues that travel “shouldn’t feel like a chore” and that when systems add more barriers, “they strip away the joy of exploring”.

“From my experience working with travel-related industries, I’ve seen how much effort businesses put into making travel seamless,” she continued. “Complicated processes go against that. It’s important to find ways to ensure safety without making the experience frustrating or overly complex. For both travellers and the industry, simplicity and trust are what keeps everything moving forward.”

Furious Express.co.uk readers have even vowed to boycott the country claiming the new system has left them “feeling like criminals”.

Scott believes glitches and crashes are “just the beginning”, explaining that systems like this “often have ongoing issues”. 

“Mismanagement of personal information is a serious problem, not just for travellers but for businesses caught in the middle,” she continued, adding: “It’s not just about inconvenience; it’s about accountability and protecting people’s privacy.”

The new rules mean that anyone aged 14 or above must provide various pieces of information, with several additional details including their names and surnames, ID numbers, home address and email addresses, telephone numbers, card details, passport number and account numbers.

Children under 14 won’t need to provide the information, though adults travelling with them must explain their relationship with them. 

Pedro Fiol, president of the Aviba Balearic Association of Travel Agencies, claimed the failures have brought “chaos”, and the system “hardly ever worked during the test period”.

“It is disproportionate and has already had an international impact,” he argued, adding: “We cannot upload data that we don’t know.” 

Fiol argued that the plans, which were brought in to “fight terrorism and organised crime” will “neither prevent nor deter any possible attack”.

He said: “Terrorists with names and surnames will not be staying with their faces uncovered in any hotel surrounded by tourists. The measure violates all the principles of privacy of our customers. Europe should act. It will be easier to file a tax return than book a hotel.”

Non-compliance can reportedly result in fines for businesses as high as 30,000 euros, and Aviba is now advising members to take screenshots of website errors as evidence. 

“It is very important that we can prove that the system has not been working and that we have therefore not been able to load the data”, Fiol said.

The Spanish Interior Ministry told Express.co.uk that the previous regulation “was obsolete because it did not take into account new forms of business in the accommodation and car rental sectors, such as short-term tourist accommodation, and did not take advantage of the possibilities offered by modern communication technologies”.

It insisted that customers don’t have to provide “any more documents than he/she already did before the new rules came into force. They only have to indicate the relationship of the accompanying minors”.

According to the ministry, the platform exploits the full potential of electronic communication systems and allows for rapid data processing. It’s also in line with Spanish and European legislation on data protection and it has the endorsement of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) and the Council of State, the statement said.

It reaffirmed claims that the new rules will reinforce the security of its citizens. It also said that the mandatory data that establishments are obligated to transmit for each customer is 13: eight of them related to identification of the user, and five on the economic transaction.

“Establishments will not have to provide the Ministry of the Interior with more data than they already have because they need it for their management,” the statement adds.