The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) announced this Wednesday in a press release that "it will take legal action against Royal Decree 933/2021 on the Travelers Registry, whose entry into force is scheduled for December 2, due to the lack of responses from the Government and the negative impact that this regulation will have on the hotel sector and travelers themselves."
The hotel association has denounced that the Executive "has ignored all requests for dialogue and clarification, both from CEHAT and from international tourism associations." Thus, it has added that "despite repeated warnings about the serious repercussions that this regulation will have, the Government has not offered solutions or issued the promised Ministerial Order to clarify its implementation."
Criticism of the regulations
For CEHAT, the new regulation "not only negatively affects international tourists, but also Spanish citizens who use hotels and accommodation when traveling within the country." It has also added that "these will have to face more complex and tedious administrative procedures, compromising their accommodation experience."
In addition, the hoteliers have assured "that they are forced to comply with confusing and disproportionate regulations that violate several European directives related to data protection and payment systems." Thus, "non-compliance with this European regulation may entail significant fines for companies far greater than the penalties for not complying with the Royal Decree of the Ministry of the Interior, exposing themselves to sanctions of up to 30,000 euros if they fail to adapt in time."
CEHAT has denounced that this lack of clarity generates "unacceptable legal uncertainty for a sector that represents 12% of Spanish GDP and is key to the country's economy."
Since the meeting held with the Ministry of the Interior on October 4, CEHAT has assured that "it has not received any official communication or concrete progress on the promised clarifications." It has also insisted that "the Government has not issued the committed Ministerial Order to detail the necessary procedures, leaving hoteliers in a defenseless situation less than a week before the decree comes into force."
Jorge Marichal, president of CEHAT, has lamented the attitude of the Executive: “We have been requesting dialogue and concrete proposals for months to guarantee legal certainty and the viability of the sector, but we have not received any response. Faced with this lack of political will, we are forced to consider legal avenues to protect both businesses and travelers."
Legal actions
CEHAT is working with legal experts to evaluate the available judicial options, with the aim of challenging the regulations for their disproportionate impact and their incompatibility with European directives. The business association considers that these actions are necessary to defend the rights of travelers and guarantee a balanced and fair regulatory environment for tourist establishments.
“Spain cannot allow such a harmful regulation to come into force without its multiple defects being resolved. We will not stop fighting to ensure that our sector and our travelers receive the respect and protection they deserve,” Marichal concluded.
However, CEHAT has reiterated "its commitment to collaborate with the Spanish and European authorities in the search for solutions that guarantee security without compromising the operability of the sector, before this regulation comes into force." In this regard, Ramon Estalella, general secretary of CEHAT, has stressed that “we have always collaborated with the State Security Forces and Corps and we remain open to dialogue to find viable and safe technological solutions, before the new Royal Decree comes into force.”