Privacy Policies | Royal Thai Travel & Trading Co., Ltd.

Privacy Policy

Making an Enquiry or Booking a Trip

When you make an enquiry or book a trip with us, Royal Thai Travel & Trading will collect certain information from you. Depending on your interaction with us and the products and services you use, the following personal information is typically collected:

Full name, date of birth, gender, title, postal address, phone number, email address, next of kin, dietary requirements, height and weight, travel insurance details, passport details (including nationality and city of birth), passport scan, and visa application and visa page scan.
We may also ask for medical/health information, such as pre-existing medical conditions, vaccination status, disability status, medication that requires refrigeration, food allergies, and other relevant details. Some of this information may be considered sensitive or falls under special category data according to relevant data protection laws.
Additionally, any additional information provided during the booking process to assess the suitability of a trip for you may be collected, including personal information.

We also process and store records of the products and services you have enquired about or purchased from us. Furthermore, we collect and process information related to your booking, such as flights and accommodation details, even if you have not booked them through us. This information may be received from our partners or third parties.

We also collect your technical identity data (including IP addresses, browser type and versions, other technology on the device that you use to access our websites, some of which is collected automatically), as well as information about your usage of our websites as you and others browse our websites (see our separate “Cookies” policy for more information).

What Information do we collect about you?

We also collaborate with third-party service providers and payment gateways to facilitate payments between you, us, our partners, and tour operators and agents, as applicable. These service providers share payment information with us to administer and handle your travel services reservation or tour. All of our third-party payment providers are required to comply with the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and process payments on our behalf.

In most cases, to make a payment using a credit card for your tour or travel services, you will utilize the secure online booking engine on the relevant website or platform you are using. Alternatively, you may directly contact your booking agent. In rare instances, you may provide us with your credit card details over the phone, such as when we need to issue a refund. In such cases, we will collect and record your bank details solely for the purpose of providing the refund.

We kindly request that you refrain from emailing or sending your payment card details to us or any of our partners in writing at any time.

Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party vendors and providers, including payment providers. Therefore, we recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party vendor or provider to ensure your personal information is protected and handled appropriately.

With your consent, any calls you have with us may be recorded and/or monitored for quality control, coaching, training, and customer service purposes to assist in addressing your inquiries. When calls are recorded, we may collect information such as the caller's identity, the date and time of the call, and the subject and resolution of the issue. It is important to clarify that any financial information provided during a telephone call is not recorded or logged by Royal Thai Travel & Trading.

Financial Information

During your tour or branded trip with Royal Thai Travel & Trading, it is possible that a photo or video may be taken by the tour leader, an employee of Royal Thai Travel & Trading, one of our partners, or another passenger as part of the overall experience. We prioritise your privacy, so if you do not wish to have your photograph taken or be included in any videos, please inform your tour group leader or the photographer. Any photos taken by our staff, including employees and group leaders, will not be used for marketing purposes without your prior knowledge. While we take necessary precautions to protect your privacy, we cannot be held responsible for other passengers who may take your photo or video without our knowledge.

On certain occasions, we may hire professional photographers to capture photos for use in our marketing materials. We ensure that all our customers are informed in advance if a professional photographer will be present, and you have the right to decline or opt-out of being included in any photos taken for these purposes, including any subsequent use of content or images.

Photo and Video

For marketing purposes, we collect the following personal information from you, as described below:

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your full name, country, and email address.
Through our preference, we gather your phone number, date of birth, postcode/zip code, residential state, and your travel preferences.
If you request a brochure, we collect your full name and postal address.
When you participate in a competition directly with Royal Thai Travel & Trading or through one of our external partners, or when you click on an advertisement by Royal Thai Travel & Trading, we may collect your full name, country, zip code, email address, phone number, and your travel preferences.
In some cases, when you click on a Royal Thai Travel & Trading advertisement through a third party, certain information may be pre-filled from an account you may have with that third party.

Marketing and Other Interactions

As part of our research projects, surveys, feedback collection, and interviews, we may reach out to you for your participation. This could involve contacting you to complete a post-booking or post-trip feedback survey where we ask for your rating and comments about your experience.

During this contact, we may collect your full name, email address, booking number, and departure code. You will be requested to provide a rating and comment regarding your trip experience. Any comments you provide will be linked to the information you provide.

If you have provided the necessary details, we may also contact you in response to your feedback to further discuss your comments.

Research

We collect, store, and handle your personal information for various business purposes, including:

Providing you with our travel products and services, managing reservations and tours, and administering your booking account settings if you have created an account with Royal Thai Travel & Trading.
Managing our business relationship with you if you are a business partner, supplier, or agent.
Identifying and informing you about causes related to the Intrepid Foundation that we believe may interest you, including sending email newsletters or printed materials to your postal address if permitted by you.
Contacting you and processing your communications, such as responding to queries or complaints, conveying important information, or inviting you to complete a booking if you started but did not finish an online tour reservation.
Improving our products, services, and user experience.
Fulfilling our legal obligations and assisting government agencies, law enforcement, or regulators.
Conducting marketing activities, including informing you about other travel-related products or services that we think may be of interest, processing feedback forms, and similar communications.

To collect, store, use, share, and process your information, we must have a purpose and legal basis as required by privacy and data protection laws, such as the EU/UK GDPR. The legal basis may vary depending on your interaction with us and the information we collect and process. The following legal bases apply:

Necessary for the performance of a contract: When you make an enquiry or book a trip, we rely on this legal basis as processing your personal information is necessary for completing your travel reservation and administering your booking.
Legitimate Interest: We have a legitimate interest in processing your information for commercial business purposes to provide you with products or services. This includes communicating with you regarding the product or service you requested, providing relevant information, managing our relationship with business partners, improving our offerings, and preventing fraud.
Legal Obligations: In certain circumstances, we may need to use your information to comply with local laws in the country you are visiting.
Vital Interest: In limited circumstances where your health is essential, we may rely on the legal basis of vital interest to process your personal information. For example, this may involve contacting medical or insurance providers in case of a medical emergency.
Consent: If required by applicable laws, we will obtain your prior consent before processing your personal information, particularly for electronic marketing materials or as otherwise mandated by law.

Providing your personal data to us is voluntary. However, if certain personal information is not provided, we may not be able to fulfil your reservation, and it may affect your overall experience. We may only provide you with certain products and services if we can collect specific personal data. For instance, we cannot process your travel booking without collecting your name and contact details.

Why do we collect your information?

We utilize your personal information to organize and deliver the products and services you have requested and booked. This includes making arrangements for flights, transportation, accommodation, and activities. Here are further details regarding these purposes:

Group leaders use your personal information to identify you and ensure your safety during the trip.
Depending on your destination and the services being booked, we may need to provide certain personal information to suppliers to secure your booking. Additionally, local laws and governments may require us to provide travel documentation, such as passport details or a passport scan.
We collect your contact details to manage our relationship with you, which includes sending booking updates, providing relevant information, issuing tickets if applicable, handling feedback and complaints, and contacting you in case of emergencies.
In certain circumstances, we may need to share relevant information, including sensitive information, with insurance providers, their agents, and medical staff to act on your behalf or in the interest of passengers, particularly in emergencies.
With your consent or if it is in your vital interest or required by relevant laws, we may share your medical/health information to address any specific needs you may have before and during your trip. Disclosing any pre-existing medical conditions helps us ensure that we are well-prepared to assist you if necessary.
Medical/health information, unless necessary for your vital interest or required by laws, can only be used by Royal Thai Travel & Trading with your consent.

This is because such information is considered sensitive, and your consent demonstrates your understanding and agreement to us processing this information. While providing medical/health information and consenting to its use by Royal Thai Travel & Trading is optional, it is highly recommended for your safety and well-being.

Making an Enquiry or Booking a Trip

Many people enjoy taking photos or videos to capture special moments, which is why you may be included in visual media during your trip. Occasionally, the visual media captured by our group leaders and employees is of such high quality that our Studio team may want to use them for promotional purposes in our brochures or on our website. Additionally, there may be a professional photographer present on your trip specifically for the purpose of taking promotional images. In such cases, we will provide you with a consent and waiver form. It is important to note that signing this form is completely voluntary, and you are not obligated to do so. We respect your privacy and preferences when handling any personal information collected through visual media.

Photo and Video

We may use your information for various marketing purposes, including:

Identifying and informing you about products and services that we believe may interest you.
Offering you deals on partner products and services.
Informing you about trip deals, discounts, and promotions.
Administering promotions, feedback surveys, and similar activities.
Enrolling you in Insiders, our email communication for customers who have traveled with us at least once. Insiders will provide you with information about discounts, competitions, and new trips. More details about Insiders can be found on our website.

These products and services may be offered by Royal Thai Travel & Trading, our associated companies, or our brand partners.

We will only engage in direct marketing activities in compliance with the laws of the country or jurisdiction where you are located.

To respect your privacy rights and provide you with control over how we manage marketing communications with you, we will ensure that direct marketing is limited to a reasonable and appropriate level. We will only send you communications that we believe may be of interest or relevance to you based on the products and services you have purchased or shown interest in.

If you receive electronic marketing communications from us, you have the option to opt out of receiving further communications by following the opt-out instructions provided in the communication. For instance, you can unsubscribe from promotional marketing newsletters by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email. You can also change and manage your marketing preferences at any time through our preference center. If you encounter any issues or have questions, you can contact us at info@royalthaitraveltrading.com.

You can also adjust how your browser manages cookies, which may be used for online advertising, by modifying the settings in your browser. We recommend regularly reviewing the privacy notices and preference settings available on social media platforms, as well as reviewing your preferences within your account with us.

Marketing and Other Interactions

We conduct research and analyze the information we collect from you, including feedback and comments, to improve our products and services and enhance your customer experience. This includes customising online content, enhancing the booking and website experience, and identifying trends and potential future destinations and itineraries.

We may use de-identified data for internal reporting purposes, such as assessing the success of partnerships, developing new marketing strategies, and identifying trends.

As part of our efforts to gain insights and understand our customers better, we may contact you to participate in research projects, surveys, and interviews. These interactions aim to gather valuable information regarding our services, customer needs and expectations, media consumption habits, concerns, reasons for traveling, and more. Any information and details obtained from our research activities may be stored for future reference if deemed relevant, and we strive to de-identify the data where possible.

Research

In order to handle your enquiry, fulfil your product or service request, or manage your booking, we may share your personal information with the following:

Any member of Royal Thai Travel & Trading, including our internal contractors and staff, such as local group leaders.
Our related overseas entities and Destination Management Companies.
Our network and branded partners, such as travel agencies, tour operators, and Urban Adventures.
Travel providers, including airlines and tour companies.
Other third-party operators, such as local operators, couriers, mailing houses, payment processors, and similar entities.
Other suppliers and service providers, such as hotels and transfer drivers.
In some cases, Government authorities, for instance, for border crossings and visa requirements.

To provide a clear example, if you book flights through Royal Thai Travel & Trading or if your trip includes a flight, the relevant personal information will be shared with the respective airline. Similarly, if your trip is operated by a non-Royal Thai Travel & Trading affiliated tour company, your personal information will be provided to that company to confirm your participation and provide the necessary services. We also share personal information with travel providers and local operators to enhance services, improve experiences, and investigate complaints or disputes when required.

It is important for you to familiarize yourself with the privacy policies of all travel providers and tour operators you choose for your trip or travel-related services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party travel providers and tour operators with whom you decide to book travel products and services.

Making an Enquiry or Booking a Trip

We collaborate with third parties who assist us in operating, improving, customising, supporting, and marketing our products and services. This involves sharing your personal information with the following:

IT Service Providers: We engage third-party service providers to deliver website and application development, hosting, maintenance, backup, storage, virtual infrastructure, support, and troubleshooting services. These providers may require access to or use of your information for quality assurance purposes, payment processing, analysis, and other relevant services.
Marketers: We work with a global network of partners who aid us in marketing and promoting our products. They may provide consulting and sales services, send marketing materials on our behalf, generate leads, and resell our services.
Research: We enlist the assistance of third parties for research and analytics purposes, including surveys, interviews, and data gathering related to the activities of the Intrepid Foundation. We may share your information with these partners in connection with their services.

We take measures to ensure the protection of your information at all times. This includes implementing confidentiality restrictions with these third parties and stipulating that they only use the personal information shared with them, or collected on our behalf, for the sole purpose of providing contracted services to us.

Support Services

In certain situations, we may share or transfer information as follows:

Merger, Sale, Financing, or Acquisition: If there is a merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition involving all or a portion of our business, we may share or transfer information to another company. If such a transaction occurs, you will be notified via email and/or through a prominent notice on our services. You will also be provided with any choices you may have regarding your information in relation to the transaction.
Compliance with Applicable Laws: We may share your information with relevant regulators, privacy regulators, supervisory authorities in other jurisdictions, courts, and law enforcement agencies to comply with applicable laws, regulations, rules, and requests. This includes requests from law enforcement, regulatory, and governmental agencies.
Insurance Providers and Medical Personnel: We may share personal information with insurance providers and/or medical personnel for purposes such as fraud detection or prevention, regulatory reporting and compliance, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to reduce or prevent a threat to life, health, or safety.
Aggregate, Statistical Information: We may share non-personal information in aggregate, statistical form regarding website visitors, traffic patterns, and website usage with our advertisers.

Other sharing

We do not and will not sell your personal information under any circumstances.

Selling data

We want to ensure that you have control over the information you provide to us. Subject to certain exemptions and relevant data protection laws, you have certain rights over your personal information. These include:

Right to Update: You can ask us to update any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information we hold about you.
Right to Access and Portability: You can request a copy of the information we hold about you or ask us to transfer that information to another service provider.
Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we stop processing or using your information.
Right to Erasure: You may request that we delete all or some of the information we hold about you.
Right to Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw any consent you have provided to us.

We will make every effort to comply with your requests, but there may be instances where we cannot fulfil them or where there may be consequences if we were to do so. We will always communicate with you about any potential consequences or provide written reasons for any refusal.

Under certain data protection laws, such as the EU/UK GDPR, you may also have the following rights (subject to certain exceptions):

Right to Opt-Out of Marketing: You can withdraw your consent to our use of your information for marketing purposes.
Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your personal data when we collect it for our legitimate interests.
Right to Data Portability: You can request that your personal information be transferred to yourself or a third party in a commonly used format.

To ensure the security of your personal information, we may ask for additional information to confirm your identity before disclosing the requested information. In certain cases, we may charge a fee as permitted by law, for example, if your request is clearly unfounded or excessive.

We will only carry out the activities described above to the extent that they do not compromise privacy, security, or any other legal interests.

If you have any complaints about how we have handled your personal information or any infringement of your privacy rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with us or your relevant privacy or data protection authority.

You can exercise any of these rights at any time by contacting us (see the Contact Us section) or reaching out to your relevant privacy or data protection authority.

What are your rights

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the collection or processing of your personal information, you have the option to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. However, we kindly request that you first contact us to attempt to resolve the concern or complaint directly.

If you are located in the UK/EU, you can find the relevant data protection authority for your region by following this link: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en

If you are in Australia, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au/).

Complaint to the Data Protection Authority

We store and retain most of your information in computer systems and databases operated by us or our external service providers. Some information may also be recorded in securely stored paper files.

We will only keep your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. In certain cases, we may need to store your personal information for longer periods due to legal, regulatory, tax, or accounting requirements.

There may be specific circumstances where we retain your personal information for extended periods. This is done to ensure we have an accurate record of your interactions with us in case of any complaints, challenges, or potential litigation related to your personal information or dealings.

Retention

Royal Thai Travel & Trading is committed to safeguarding the security of your personal information. We have implemented various physical, electronic, and managerial security measures to protect your information and mitigate the risk of loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification, disclosure, and interference.

We have established appropriate procedures to address any actual or suspected breaches of personal information and will notify you and the relevant regulatory authorities in accordance with legal obligations if a data breach occurs.

While we take reasonable steps to ensure the security of your personal information, it's important to note that the internet is inherently insecure. Therefore, we recommend exercising caution when disclosing any personal information to us online.

How we keep your information secure

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Clicking on these links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. Please note that we do not have control over these third-party websites and their privacy policies. When you leave our website, we encourage you to review the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Some of our services include widgets and social media features, such as the Facebook "like" button. These features may collect your IP address and track the page you are visiting on our Services. They may also set cookies to ensure the proper functioning of the feature. These widgets and social media features are either hosted by a third party or directly on our Services. Your interactions with these features are subject to the privacy policy of the company providing them.

Please keep in mind that this response is a paraphrase and should not be considered as an official policy statement. For detailed information on third-party links and widgets, we recommend referring to the official documentation provided by Royal Thai Travel & Trading.

Third-Party Links

Our websites use a standard technology called ‘cookies’ and web server log.

This Privacy Policy was last updated in July 2023

Cookies & Website Usage

Sharing your information

About this Policy

Royal Thai Travel & Trading takes its data protection and privacy responsibilities seriously.

Please read the following privacy policy (Privacy Policy) to understand how we use and protect the personal information you provide to us, or we receive and collect when you use our services, including how we collect it, and what we do with it, as well as some of the steps we take to safeguard your personal information. We hope that this will help you make an informed decision about sharing personal information with us.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to keep it up to date with legal requirements and the way we operate our business. You are responsible for reviewing this Privacy Policy periodically and informing yourself of any changes to this Privacy Policy. We suggest that you check back regularly to review any changes. If we make significant changes to this Privacy Policy, we will seek to inform you by notice on our website or email.