Privacy Policy

We, Columbus Travel Media Limited, are committed to safeguarding your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we will treat any personal information you supply to us, or we collect from you on www.worldtravelguide.net and its other language versions the "Websites", and how your personal data will be processed by us as the ‘data controller of your data’ as set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 (“the Act”). Please read this policy carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how it affects your legal rights. If you do not agree with this policy please do not use the Websites.

1. Information collected

1.1 We may collect and store information you provide on the Websites for the purposes of:

1.1.1 purchasing or receiving our goods or services;
1.1.2 registering for a password protected login for any of our services or facilities on the Websites;
1.1.3 using the feedback facility;
1.1.4 entering competitions, including any competitions organised and fulfilled by third parties;
1.1.5 participating in surveys and research;
1.1.6 completing enquiry or filling in any forms;
1.1.7 supplying us with information for publication on the Websites;
1.1.8 any other communication you have with us for any other reason;
1.1.9 when and if you report a problem with the Website (or sites).

1.2 We may also collect and store information about your computer and about your visits to and use of the Websites (including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views).

2. Use of Cookies

2.1 We may gather information about your use of the Websites by using a cookie file. When used, these cookies are downloaded to your computer automatically. The cookie file is stored on the hard drive of your computer as cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.

2.2 When used, a session cookie will keep track of you whilst you navigate the Websites.

2.3 When used, a persistent cookie will enable the Websites to recognise you when you re-visit the Websites.

2.4 All computers have the ability to decline cookies. Please note, should you decline cookies, you may not be able to access certain areas of the Websites.

2.5 We use cookies to analyse the use of the Websites. This enables statistical and other reports to be produced about the use of the Websites but such reports will not identify you personally.

2.6 To store information about your preferences and so allow us to customise the Websites according to you individual interests.

2.7 To speed up your searches.

2.8 Our advertisers and third party suppliers whose websites can be accessed via the Websites also use cookies, over which Columbus Travel Media does not have access to or control. Such cookies (if used) will be downloaded once you click on an advertisement on the Websites or transfer to a third party's website, you should read the third parties website privacy policy before continuing.

2.9 From time to time we may permit third party companies to set cookies on our sites for purposes which may include market research, serving advertisements, revenue tracking or to improve functionality of the site.

3. Web Beacon or Transparent / Clear GIFs

The Websites may use Pixels, Web Beacons also known as clear or Transparent GIF files, to help manage online advertising. These GIF files may be provided by one of our Ad Management Partners – Adtech, OpenX, DoubleClick or Atlas and from time to time other similar providers. These files enable our Ad Management Partners to recognize a unique cookie on your Web browser, which in turn enables us to learn which advertisements bring users to our website. The information that our Ad Management Partners collect via cookies is anonymous. It does not contain your name, address, telephone number, or email address, it only records the time and date of a viewed page, or specific advert.  For more information about DoubleClick, including information about their use of Spotlight Technology, and how to opt out of these technologies, go to www.doubleclick.net/us/corporate/privacy. For more information about Atlas go to www.atlassolutions.com. We may also carry Web Beacons / Clear Gifs placed by selected third parties that also do not collect and personally identifiable personal information.

The Websites use web analytics services provided by Google, Inc. and Coremetrics, each of which uses cookies to help us to analyse how users use the Websites. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Websites (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored on servers in the United Kingdom. They will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of our sites, compiling reports on website activity for us and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. They may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on their behalf. They will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google, Inc. and Coremetrics. If you wish to refuse the use of cookies by Google please visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout . You may also refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of the Websites. By using the Websites, you consent to the processing of data about you by those service providers in the manner and for the purposes set out above. If you want to find out more about how to disable cookies please see this external third party website www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies.

Third-party companies may collect and use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please visit http://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. Columbus Travel Media does not have access to or control over cookies or other technologies these third parties may use to collect information about your interests, and the information practices of these third parties are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Some of the advertisements you see on the Websites are generated by third party service providers. Some of these third parties generate cookies for statistical purposes on behalf of Columbus Travel Media, for example, for tracking how many unique users have seen a particular advertisement, and how many times they have seen it, and for providing you with advertisements that are more relevant to your interests. They do not contain personal information such as your name or email address. Columbus Travel Media do not have access to these cookies, although, in order to provide you with a better user experience, we may use statistical information arising from the cookies provided by Yahoo! Network to build up a profile based on your browsing patterns across the Websites and third party websites that are part of the Yahoo! network. This profile enables us to make advertisements available to you that are more relevant and tailored to your interests.

4. Transferral of Data

4.1 Transfer of Personal Data Outside of the EU
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to and stored at a destination outside the European Economic Area where the laws on data protection are not necessarily as strong as they are within the EU. By submitting your personal data you agree to this transfer. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

4.2 Risks Involved in Transmitting Personal Data Over the internet
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. So, whilst Columbus Travel Media will do its best to protect your personal data, we cannot ensure the security of data transmitted by you to the Site. Any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information we will use security procedures and features to prevent unauthorised access to it.

5. Use of your Information

5.1 We will use your information to:

5.1.1 administer the Websites;
5.1.2 enable us to provide, and you to use, the goods, services, and facilities on the Websites;
5.1.3 deliver to you any goods purchased from us;
5.1.4 send to you statements and invoices, and to collect from you payment, for goods, services or facilities purchased from us;
5.1.5 send to you future marketing information regarding our goods, services, facilities and other features;
5.1.6 send to you marketing and other commercial information about the goods or services offered by our commercial partners;
5.1.7 allow our commercial partners to contact you directly with marketing and other commercial information about their goods or services;
5.1.8 publishing information you have supplied to us on the Websites, where you have supplied such information to us for such purposes;
and
5.1.9 enable us to deal with any complaints or queries raised by you;
5.1.10 allow you to participate in interactive features of our services where you choose to do so;
5.1.11 to notify you of any changes to our services.

5.2 Please contact us at www.worldtravelguide.net/feedback at any time if you do not want your information to be used in the manner set out in clauses 5.1.5 or 5.1.6 or 5.1.7 above.

5.3 All our Websites financial transactions are handled through our payment service providers, RomanCart Limited ("Roman") SecureTrading Limited ("Secure"). You should only provide your personal information to Roman or Secure after reviewing their respective privacy policy (available through www.romancart.com or www.securetrading.com). We will share your information with Roman or Secure only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments you make via the Websites. Roman and Secure are not permitted by us to use your information for any other purpose.

6. Sharing your information

6.1 We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries (as defined in section 736 of the Company Act 1985); our employees, officers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes as set out in this privacy policy.

6.2 In addition, we may disclose information about you:

6.2.1 to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
6.2.2 in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings;
6.2.3 in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk);
6.2.4 in the event that we offer to sell any asset, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the potential purchaser of such assets;
6.2.5 if substantially all of Columbus Travel Media’s assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by us about our customers will be transferred to such third party.

6.3 We may also use your data or permit selected third parties to use your data to provide you with information about goods and services which may be of interest to you unless you have notified us that you do not wish to receive such information.

6.4 We do not disclose individual information to our advertisers, but we may provide them with aggregated information about our users and the number of visitors our web site(s) receives.

6.5 We may also use such aggregated information to help advertisers reach the kind of audiences they want to target. We comply with our advertisements wishes by displaying their advertisements to that target audience using the personal data we have collected from you and from others.

7. Your rights

7.1 You have the right to request us not to disclose any of your personal data or information or to pass information to third parties. We will inform you before collecting your data, if we intend to disclose your information to any third party and you can exercise that right by checking certain boxes on the form we use to collect your data. You can also notify us by contacting us at unsubscribe@columbustravelmedia.com, or by post at Columbus Travel Media Limited, Fifth Floor, South Tower, 26 Elmfield Road, Bromley, BR1 1LR. Whichever way you contact us please provide the following information – Full name (title, first name and surname), Full address including postcode and Full email address.

7.2 Our Websites are not directed at children under the age of 13. We operate our sites in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and will not knowingly collect or use personally identifiable information from anyone under 13.

8. Security of your information

8.1 We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.

8.2 We do not accept any responsibility for the security of data sent over the internet.

8.3 You are responsible for keeping your password and user details confidential.

8.4 We have in place a level of security appropriate to the nature of the data and the harm that may result from a breach of security. However, all publicly accessible web sites are susceptible to malicious practices and we accept no liability if security is breached.

8.5 Columbus Travel Media further undertake that we will not hold information about you which is excessive in respect of the purposes for which it was collected or processed.

9. Miscellaneous

9.1 Where the context permits, the words "we", "our" and "us" are a reference to Columbus Travel Media Limited.

9.2 We may update this privacy policy from time to time and it is your responsibility to check to ensure you are aware of the contents of the most up to date policy at any given time.

9.3 You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you. Provision of such information may be subject to the payment of a fee (currently fixed at £10.00).

9.4 Columbus Travel Medias’ Websites may from time to time contain links to and from partner and/or affiliate websites. If you follow a link to their sites, please note that these sites have their own privacy policies and Columbus Travel Media does not accept any responsibility or liability for protection of personal data which you may submit to a third party site. Columbus Travel Media recommends to check the wording of the relevant privacy polices before submitting any personal data to those websites.

10. Contact details for Columbus Travel Media

The Data Protection Officer
Columbus Travel Media
Fifth Floor
South Tower
26 Elmfield Road
Bromley BR1 1LR

We hope that you enjoy using our website, safe in the knowledge that we are committed to protecting your privacy.

 

Version 3: January 2012

Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.