Privacy Policy
Your privacy and the security of your personal data are of utmost importance to us. This policy outlines how we collect, use, protect, and share your personal information when you visit or make a booking through our website.
The Destinations Group Limited is a registered company in England and Wales under company number 13122457, with our registered office at 32 Eyre Street, Sheffield, S1 4QZ. We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about how we handle your personal information, or if you wish to exercise any of your privacy rights, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy.
1. Information We Collect
We collect various types of personal information from you when you interact with our website, make bookings, or communicate with us. This information helps us provide our services effectively and improve your overall experience. The types of information we collect include:
1.1 Information You Provide to Us
Personal Details: Such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, and date of birth.
Booking Information: Details related to your travel arrangements, including passport information, preferences, and special requests.
Payment Information: Including credit or debit card details, billing address, and any other financial information necessary to process your bookings.
Communication Records: Any correspondence you have with us, including emails, phone calls, and messages sent through our website or social media channels.
1.2 Information We Collect Automatically
Technical Data: Such as your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our website.
Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, and the services you interact with.
Cookies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your interactions with our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for more details.
1.3 Information We Receive from Third Parties
Third-Party Services: We may receive information about you from third-party services we use to support our business, such as payment processors and travel partners.
Social Media: If you interact with us through social media platforms, we may collect information from your public profile and any other details you share with us via those platforms.
We collect and process this information in accordance with applicable data protection laws, ensuring that your personal data is handled securely and responsibly.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect about you for a variety of purposes, ensuring that we provide you with the best possible service. The specific ways in which we use your information include:
2.1 To Provide Our Services
Booking and Travel Arrangements: We use your personal information to process and manage your bookings, including flights, accommodation, and any additional services you request.
Communication: To communicate with you about your bookings, provide customer support, and respond to your enquiries or requests.
2.2 For Administrative and Legal Purposes
Billing and Payments: To process payments, manage refunds, and maintain records of your transactions.
Compliance with Legal Obligations: To comply with any legal obligations we may have, such as maintaining records for tax purposes, responding to lawful requests from public authorities, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
2.3 To Improve Our Services
Website and Service Enhancements: We analyse your usage data and feedback to improve our website, services, and overall customer experience.
Personalisation: To tailor our website, services, and communications to better suit your preferences and interests.
2.4 Marketing and Promotions
Direct Marketing: With your consent, we may use your contact details to send you promotional offers, newsletters, and information about our services that may be of interest to you.
Third-Party Marketing: We do not share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes without your explicit consent.
2.5 Security and Fraud Prevention
Protecting Our Business: We use your information to help maintain the security of our website, systems, and data, as well as to detect and prevent fraud or other illegal activities.
We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully, in accordance with the principles of data protection law. We will only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason that is compatible with the original purpose.
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, personalise content, and gather information about how you interact with our site. These technologies help us to understand your preferences and improve the services we offer.
3.1 What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and store certain information about your preferences or past actions. Cookies can be “session cookies,” which are deleted when you close your browser, or “persistent cookies,” which remain on your device until they expire or are deleted.
3.2 Types of Cookies We Use
Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionalities such as security, network management, and accessibility. You cannot opt out of these cookies as they are essential for the website to operate.
Analytical/Performance Cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use our website, such as which pages you visit most often, and if you receive error messages from web pages. This helps us to improve the way our website works.
Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your username, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personalised features.
Targeting/Advertising Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver adverts that are more relevant to you and your interests. They may also limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
3.3 Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You can manage your cookie preferences by clicking the ‘Cookie’ icon located in the bottom left-hand corner of our website. This will allow you to review and adjust your consent preferences for the different types of cookies we use.
Most web browsers also allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can choose to block or delete cookies, but please note that if you disable essential cookies, certain parts of our website may not function properly.
3.4 Other Tracking Technologies
In addition to cookies, we may use other tracking technologies such as web beacons or pixels. These technologies allow us to track your interactions with our website or emails and are typically used to monitor the effectiveness of our communications and marketing campaigns.
For more detailed information about the cookies and tracking technologies we use, and how you can manage your preferences, please visit the ‘Cookie’ section accessible via the icon on our website.
4. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We respect your privacy and are committed to ensuring that your personal information is kept secure. We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties, except in the specific circumstances outlined below.
4.1 Sharing with Service Providers
We may share your personal information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or providing services to you. These service providers include:
Payment Processors: To process payments for your bookings and manage billing.
Travel Partners: To fulfil your travel arrangements, such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and tour operators.
IT and Hosting Providers: To support our website’s functionality and security.
Marketing Services: To assist with email campaigns, advertising, and promotions, subject to your consent.
We require all third-party service providers to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes in accordance with our instructions.
4.2 Legal Obligations and Protection
We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (such as a court or government agency). We may also disclose your information when we believe it is necessary to:
Comply with legal obligations.
Protect and defend the rights or property of The Destinations Group Limited.
Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the services we offer.
Protect the personal safety of users of the service or the public.
Protect against legal liability.
4.3 Business Transfers
In the event that The Destinations Group Limited undergoes a business transaction such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or use of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.
4.4 Aggregated or Anonymised Data
We may share aggregated or anonymised data that does not directly identify you with third parties for analytical, marketing, or research purposes. This data is used to help us understand trends and improve our services but cannot be used to identify you personally.
5. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information very seriously and are committed to protecting it from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. To achieve this, we implement a variety of technical, administrative, and physical security measures.
5.1 Technical Security Measures
Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption protocols (such as SSL/TLS) to protect your personal information during transmission over the internet.
Access Controls: We limit access to your personal information to authorised personnel who need it to perform their job responsibilities. Access is granted based on the principle of least privilege.
Security Software: We employ firewalls, anti-virus software, and other security technologies to prevent unauthorised access and protect our systems from malicious attacks.
5.2 Administrative Security Measures
Employee Training: Our employees receive regular training on data protection and the importance of safeguarding personal information.
Data Protection Policies: We have comprehensive data protection policies in place to guide our practices and ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Incident Response: We have procedures in place to respond to potential data breaches or security incidents, ensuring that we can act quickly to mitigate any impact.
5.3 Physical Security Measures
Secure Facilities: Our data storage facilities are protected by physical security measures such as controlled access, security personnel, and surveillance systems.
Data Minimisation: We retain only the personal data necessary for our business operations and take steps to securely dispose of any data that is no longer needed.
5.4 Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the nature of the data and the purpose for which it was collected. Once your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
5.5 User Responsibility
While we strive to protect your personal information, it is important to note that no security system is completely infallible. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any passwords or account credentials and for notifying us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account.
5.6 Reporting Security Concerns
If you have any concerns about the security of your personal information or suspect a potential breach, please contact us immediately by clicking the ‘Contact’ button in the top right-hand corner of our website.
6. Your Legal Rights
Under data protection laws, you have various rights regarding your personal data. We are committed to respecting these rights and ensuring that you have control over how your information is used. Your rights include:
6.1 Right to Access
You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you. This allows you to receive a copy of your personal data and to check that we are processing it lawfully.
6.2 Right to Rectification
If any of the personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request correction or completion of your data. We encourage you to keep your information up to date by notifying us of any changes.
6.3 Right to Erasure
Also known as the “right to be forgotten,” this right allows you to request the deletion of your personal data when there is no longer a compelling reason for us to retain it. This right is not absolute and may be subject to certain conditions, such as legal obligations that require us to retain your data.
6.4 Right to Restrict Processing
You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data or object to its processing. This means that we can store your data, but not use it further.
6.5 Right to Data Portability
Where applicable, you have the right to request the transfer of your personal data to you or to another data controller in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. This right applies only to information you have provided to us, where the processing is based on your consent or a contract, and where the processing is carried out by automated means.
6.6 Right to Object
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis for processing, and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object if your data is being processed for direct marketing purposes.
6.7 Right to Withdraw Consent
If you have provided consent for the processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
6.8 Right to Lodge a Complaint
If you believe that we have not complied with your data protection rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. More information is available on the ICO’s website: www.ico.org.uk.
6.9 Exercising Your Rights
To exercise any of your rights, please contact us by clicking the ‘Contact’ button in the top right-hand corner of our website. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights).
We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally, it may take us longer if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In such cases, we will notify you and keep you updated.
7. International Data Transfers
As part of our operations, your personal data may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries outside the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA). These countries may have different data protection laws that may not be as comprehensive as those in the UK or EEA.
7.1 Data Transfers Outside the UK and EEA
Whenever we transfer your personal data outside the UK or EEA, we take all reasonably necessary steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This includes implementing at least one of the following safeguards:
Adequacy Decision: We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the UK government or the European Commission.
Standard Contractual Clauses: Where we use certain service providers outside the UK or EEA, we may use specific contracts approved by the UK government or the European Commission which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK or EEA.
Binding Corporate Rules: Where appropriate, we may implement binding corporate rules that have been approved by the UK or EEA data protection authorities to allow transfers within our group of companies.
7.2 Data Transfer to Third-Party Service Providers
If we transfer your personal data to third-party service providers outside the UK or EEA, we ensure that these service providers provide adequate safeguards and have implemented appropriate measures to protect your personal data in line with applicable data protection laws.
7.3 Your Rights in Relation to International Transfers
You have the right to request more information about the safeguards we have in place to protect your personal data when it is transferred outside the UK or EEA. If you would like further details, please contact us by clicking the ‘Contact’ button in the top right-hand corner of our website.
8. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to and from third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. If you follow a link to any of these websites or interact with any third-party content, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies, and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for their content or policies.
8.1 Links to Other Websites
When you click on links to other websites, you are leaving our website and are no longer covered by this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of those third-party websites to understand how they collect, use, and share your personal data.
8.2 Social Media Features
Our website may include social media features, such as the Facebook “Like” button or other interactive mini-programs. These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our site. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing them.
8.3 Third-Party Services
If you use any third-party services, such as payment processors or booking platforms linked from our website, those services may collect and process your personal data independently of us. We are not responsible for the data collection practices or privacy policies of these third-party services.
8.4 External Content
From time to time, we may embed content from external websites on our website, such as videos, images, or articles. This embedded content behaves in the same way as if you were visiting the external website directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of these external websites before interacting with their content.
9. Changes to the Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. Any changes we make to our Privacy Policy will be posted on this page, and where appropriate, we will notify you by email or through a notice on our website.
9.1 Notification of Changes
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your personal data. Your continued use of our website and services following the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
9.2 Historical Versions
If requested, we can provide you with previous versions of our Privacy Policy to help you understand the changes that have been made. Please contact us using the details provided below if you wish to access a previous version.
9.3 Significant Changes
If we make significant changes to this Privacy Policy, we will take additional steps to notify you, such as by sending you an email or displaying a prominent notice on our website.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help and address any issues you may have.
To contact us, simply click the ‘Contact’ button located in the top right-hand corner of our website. This will direct you to our contact page, where you can find various ways to get in touch with us, including email, phone, and possibly a contact form.
We value your feedback and are committed to ensuring that your privacy is respected and protected.
11. Complaints
We take the privacy of your personal data seriously and strive to address any concerns you may have promptly and fairly. If you believe that we have not complied with our obligations under this Privacy Policy or applicable data protection laws, you have the right to make a complaint.
11.1 How to Lodge a Complaint
Complaints must be made in writing and sent to the following address:
Data Protection Officer
The Destinations Group Limited
32 Eyre Street
Sheffield
S1 4QZ
United Kingdom
To ensure your complaint is received and processed efficiently, you must send it via recorded delivery. Additionally, please email the tracking information to customersupport@destinationsdesired.co.uk at the time of dispatch, so we can monitor its arrival and respond promptly.
11.2 Complaint Process
Upon receiving your complaint, our Data Protection Officer will review the details and investigate the matter thoroughly. We aim to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days and will provide a substantive response as soon as possible, typically within 28 days of receiving your written complaint.
11.3 Further Action
If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you believe that your complaint has not been resolved appropriately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection issues. More information about this process can be found on the ICO’s website: www.ico.org.uk.
