The new tourist registration scheme has sparked a major debate. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

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The centre right Partido Popular on the Council of Mallorca has called for the immediate repeal of the decree that obliges accommodation and car rental companies to comply with documentary registration and information requirements which, according to the PP, are “unacceptable”. According to the party, this regulation “generates serious operational and economic problems for small and medium-sized tourism companies” and, furthermore, “violates the privacy of travellers by requiring the collection of up to 30 pieces of information per accommodation booking and up to 60 in the case of car hire”.

The PP spokeswoman for the Council of Mallorca, Núria Riera, said that this new regulation “does not take into account the reality of the sector”and “forces businesses to face an excessive administrative and technological burden, which could have a direct impact on the competitiveness of Mallorcan tourism”. Riera also stressed that the decree has been “imposed without dialogue” and without sufficient consultation with the businesses affected.

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In addition, the spokeswoman has denounced the “lack of technical preparation” for the implementation of the decree, which, according to her, has led to a “real operational chaos”. A situation,they claim, aggravated by the “inaction” of the central government, which “has not responded to the requests of the different associations in the sector nor has it opened effective channels of communication with those affected”.

This, according to Riera, “especially harms those smaller companies, which have fewer resources to assume new costs and legal requirements”. The regulation aims to reinforce public security and prevent crime, but it has generated a wide debate due to the strong impact it has on the privacy of users and the management costs for businessmen. In Riera’s opinion, this regulation, “approved without any consensus with the business community”, is “disproportionate” and needs to be repealed immediately.