Privacy Policy for Travel Websites

If you own a travel blog or plan to create one, including a detailed Privacy Policy is important. The Privacy Policy should comply with the data collection and privacy laws of the countries you discuss on your website.

Websites that do not contain a Privacy Policy, could be subject to a lawsuit, which could result in expensive fines or even having your website banned from the region. Google and other companies also favor websites that have a Privacy Policy.

In this article, we'll cover what is a Privacy Policy, what to include in it, the penalties for not including one, and much more. When you're done reading this article, you will know how to make your travel website comply with international data protection and privacy laws.

Let's get into it.

What is a Privacy Policy?

A Privacy Policy page discloses how user data is collected, used, stored, and secured. It covers clauses like:

• What type of personal data is collected
• How data is stored
• Where it's shared and how
• Who has access to it
• If data is sold

The complexity of the Privacy Policy will vary depending on the type of website and the number of third-party tools in use.

The most common type of user data are:

• Names
• Addresses
• Email addresses
• Locations
• IP addresses
• Phone numbers
• Payment information

Any type of data that could be used to identify a user, should be disclosed in the Privacy Policy. Even if you don't intentionally collect this data, your website may still collect it automatically.

Does Your Travel Website Legally Need a Privacy Policy?

Yes, every website is legally required to have a Privacy Policy. It's essential for websites that sell products or services. Websites are constantly collecting and storing session data in cookies, which may include personal or tracking information. Users have the right to know how their information is being used. Most countries provide data protection rights for their citizens and residents.

Even if your website is non-profit and purely informational, user data is always being collected in the background, which should be disclosed in your Privacy Policy. For example, content management platforms like WordPress can store the names of users and their email addresses in the comment section. Affiliate programs store cookies and other tracking data too. Since you want your travel website to be accessible worldwide, it needs to comply with data protection laws.

What Happens if Your Website Does Not Have a Privacy Policy?

It's rare for a government agency to crack down on small-time travel websites for failing to include a Privacy Policy. However, if your website is reported, you will most likely receive a 30-day warning to include a relevant Privacy Policy. Failing to publish a Privacy Policy within that time frame may result in fines.

Let's face it, agencies don't have the resources to track down every website that doesn't have a Privacy Policy. There are simply too many websites out there. But it can happen. The fines can be steep too. Once a travel website becomes an established brand, authorities pay closer attention. It's better to make sure your travel website is built on a strong legal foundation. It only takes one bad report to get into legal trouble.

Which Privacy Laws Affect Travel Websites?

The most popular privacy and data regulation laws are the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The GDPR covers the entire European Union, and it even affects other regions.

If you write blog posts about destinations in Europe, then your blog must comply with GDPR. It's particularly important if your website collects personal information from European citizens or residents. Data collection can be in the form of an opt-in form, a newsletter registration form, comment sections, and many others.

The CCPA is mostly for conducting business within California, but if your website can be accessed from within California, it needs to comply with the CCPA. These two regulations have mostly the same requirements, except GDPR requires users' consent in an opt-in form.

There are also other laws, specifically for underage users. If your website contains content aimed at children under 13, then you need to meet certain requirements. The most well-known privacy law that protects children is COPPA.

Almost every country has some type of data protection laws. For example, Canada requires website owners to abide by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Australia requires businesses to comply with the Privacy Act 1988.

How to Make Sure Your Website Complies with Every Data Privacy Law

It would be very challenging to write a Privacy Policy that complies with every country's data privacy laws. Not to mention you would need a team of international lawyers. The good news is most data protection laws share similar requirements, so a blanket statement should make your website compliant with most data privacy laws.

On that note, it's important to understand the data protection laws of the country your website is based in. If you can make your website compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and your region's specific laws, that should cover your bases. You don't need to include specific clauses for every privacy and data protection law out there.

What are the Benefits of Having a Privacy Policy on Your Travel Website?

There are many benefits to having a Privacy Policy on your travel website. The main advantage is your travel website will be compliant with data collection laws, making it possible to conduct business on a global scale. It will also protect your business from lawsuits and fines.

More importantly, a detailed Privacy Policy that explains exactly how you collect user data improves the trustworthiness of your business. In a world full of scams, a website's trust factor is very important. It's a factor in search engine algorithms take into consideration too.

A Privacy Policy improves your trust factor with Google. One example would be Google's Expertise Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT) update, which factors in a website's trust factor to rank its search engine results.

You don't want to limit the reach of your travel website by failing to comply with these data collection and privacy regulations. There are hefty penalties for not meeting the requirements.

The benefits of having a Privacy Policy:

• Improves trust factor
• Prevents expensive lawsuits and fines
• Can improve your website's standing with search engines

What Should You Include in Your Travel Website's Privacy Policy?

The following are some important clauses that you should include in your travel website's Privacy Policy.

Website Contact Information

Most websites have a dedicated page for contact information, but contact information should also be included in the Privacy Policy. The contact information you provide could be the email address of your website administrator, or anyone who has access to user data. Offering a simple means for individuals to contact you in case of questions regarding your Privacy Policy can help build trust with your followers.

Email Collection Policy

A clause explaining how you collect email addresses and what you intend to do with them. It's important to mention you won't sell or distribute email addresses without consent from the owners. If you collect email addresses for a newsletter, you need to include this clause in your Privacy Policy.

Here is an example from a well-known travel blog:

Third-Party Services or Services

Disclose third-party tools that run scripts on the website and how that data could be used. These are tools like Google Analytics, email management services, and any other plugins or tools that collect or track user data. If you're not sure what to include, consider contacting the support line for the specific tools you use.

Cookies and Stored Data

A brief description of how your website uses cookies to store data and what type of data is stored. Cookies are used to track session data and user behavior over time. Cookies can also help track affiliate commissions. Certain privacy laws require travel websites to display a cookie consent banner.

Here's an example of a Privacy Policy clause that describes how cookies are used:

Advertising Companies

Your Privacy Policy should list any display ad companies that are used. These companies run additional scripts that need to be disclosed. Most display ad companies provide their partners with a disclaimer to post on their website. Display ads track a wide range of data points and it's essential to use their disclaimers.

Here's an example:

Data Protection

Outline the steps your website takes to secure personal user data. One requirement is to make sure your website uses a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) on the domain name. This is particularly important if you sell products or services on your website. Some privacy laws require you to disclose how long data is stored before it is purged.

Those are a few of the most important clauses that should be included in a Privacy Policy but many others should be included. Granted, a Privacy Policy will be tailored to meet the purpose of every individual website. It should also include valid contact information, so users can reach out if they have any concerns or questions about their data.

Where Should You Display Your Travel Site's Privacy Policy?

The Privacy Policy should be a single page on your website. A link to your Privacy Policy page should be visible on every page of your website. The most common place to display a travel site's Privacy Policy is in the footer section. You can also include the link in your website's main navigation menu or sidebar. It doesn't need to be in a specific location but it does need to be visible and readily available.

Here's a Privacy Policy link in the footer section of a website:

How Do You Get Consent to Your Travel Site's Privacy Policy?

In certain regions, it's not enough to include a link to a detailed Privacy Policy on your website. You need to get consent too. The most common way to get consent to your travel site's Privacy Policy is by using a consent checkbox or pop-up.

The checkbox can be placed in several locations, such as when the website first loads, in the comment section, in a sign-up form, in contact forms, and many others.

If your website operates in a region that requires consent, these checkboxes are necessary. The text that you could use in the checkbox could be something simple, such as "I Agree to the Privacy Policy" with a link to the full Privacy Policy page.

Your hosting provider may be able to provide a service that automatically shows a Privacy Policy consent banner for people in regions where this is required.

Summary

Even small time travel websites should have a detailed Privacy Policy. Travel websites that don't comply with national privacy laws can be banned from the region, which results in a loss of website traffic and revenue. Worse, authorities can issue hefty fines.

• Travel websites are required by law to have a Privacy Policy
• The Privacy Policy must explain how the website collects data, how it processes data, and how it stores data
• The best place to put a Privacy Policy is in the footer of a website
• Failing to include a Privacy Policy (especially when data is being collected) could result in large fines
• The most important points to cover in a Privacy Policy are contact information, email collection, third-party services, cookies, advertising companies, and data protection

If you're not sure how to create a Privacy Policy or what clauses to include, consider using our Privacy Policy generator. It's also a good idea to have a lawyer review any Privacy Policy that you choose to display.