Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 January 2025

1. Who We Are

Ocean Express Travel & Tours ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller for the personal information you provide when using our website or booking a tour. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in a transparent, secure and lawful manner in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Contact: info@oceanexpresstours.co.uk | +44(0)7852378880 | 123 Travel House, London, EC1A 1BB

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

• Identity data: full name, date of birth, passport details
• Contact data: email address, phone number, postal address
• Booking data: tour selections, travel dates, payment information, room preferences
• Health data: dietary requirements, mobility needs (only where voluntarily provided)
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, cookies (see Cookie Policy below)
• Marketing preferences: newsletter opt-ins and communication preferences

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To process and manage your tour booking
• To communicate with you about your booking, including confirmations, updates and itinerary documents
• To arrange travel services with our suppliers (hotels, transport operators, local guides)
• To comply with our legal obligations (ATOL, ABTA, Package Travel Regulations)
• To send you marketing communications (only with your consent)
• To improve our website and services through analytics

4. Legal Basis for Processing

• Contract: Processing necessary to fulfil your booking and provide the contracted travel services.
• Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with ATOL, ABTA and Package Travel Regulations.
• Legitimate interests: Improving our services and protecting our business.
• Consent: Marketing communications and non-essential cookies (you may withdraw consent at any time).

5. Data Sharing

We may share your personal data with the following third parties:

• Hotels and accommodation providers at your destinations
• Transport operators (coach companies, rail operators, airlines)
• Local tour guides and activity providers
• Travel insurance providers (where applicable)
• ATOL and ABTA for regulatory compliance
• Payment processors (for secure payment handling only)

We do not sell your personal data to any third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. Booking records are typically retained for 7 years for accounting and legal purposes. Marketing data is retained until you withdraw consent or unsubscribe.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request erasure of your data (where no legal obligation to retain exists)
• Restrict or object to processing
• Data portability (receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format)
• Withdraw consent at any time (for consent-based processing)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@oceanexpresstours.co.uk.

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. All payment transactions are processed through encrypted, PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways. We do not store card payment details on our systems.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function. Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use our site (we use anonymised data only). You may disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.