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Privacy Policy

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This Privacy Policy explains how Al Hidayah Tours (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you visit alhidayahtours.com (the “Site”) or use our Hajj and Umrah travel services.

We are committed to handling your data responsibly, particularly given the sensitive nature of travel documents (such as passports and visa applications) that our services require. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Site or our services.

Before publishing: please confirm and insert the following, as we could not verify them independently:

  • Full registered company name and company number (Companies House)
  • Registered office address
  • ICO registration number (search the ICO register to confirm yours)
  • A contact email/address for data protection queries This document is a working draft, not legal advice — see the note at the end of this file.

1. Who we are

Al Hidayah Tours is a UK-based Hajj and Umrah travel agency.

  • Company name: Al Hidayah Travels
  • Registered office: Unit 1, Eastwood Trading Estate, Shaw Road, Rotherham, England S65 1SG, United Kingdom
  • Contact for data protection matters: in**@************rs.com

We act as the “data controller” for the personal data described in this policy — meaning we decide how and why your data is used.

2. The data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

Information you give us directly

  • Name, date of birth, gender
  • Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
  • Passport details and other travel documents required for visa applications
  • Payment and billing details (processed via our payment provider — see Section 6)
  • Details of travel companions or family members included in a booking
  • Health, dietary or accessibility information you choose to share with us to arrange suitable travel (see the note on special category data below)
  • Enquiries, correspondence and feedback you send us

Information collected automatically

  • IP address, browser type and device information
  • Pages visited, time spent on the Site, and referring pages
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookie Policy / Section 8 below)

A note on sensitive (special category) data

Some information needed for Hajj and Umrah travel — for example, health conditions relevant to travel insurance, or dietary requirements — may count as “special category data” under UK GDPR. We only collect this where you choose to provide it, and only use it to arrange appropriate travel arrangements on your behalf, with your explicit consent.

PurposeLegal basis

Processing your Hajj/Umrah booking, visa application and travel arrangements

Performance of a contract with you

Responding to enquiries and providing customer support

Performance of a contract / legitimate interest

Sending you marketing about future packages (only if you’ve opted in)

Consent

Complying with UK travel, tax and financial regulations

Legal obligation

Improving the Site and understanding how it’s used

Legitimate interest

Processing special category data (health/dietary needs) for travel arrangements

Explicit consent

If the legal basis we rely on changes, we will notify you and explain the new basis before continuing to process your data. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Who we share your data with

We share personal data only where necessary to deliver your travel arrangements, including with:

  • Airlines and hotel providers in the UK and Saudi Arabia, to book and confirm your travel and accommodation
  • The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and related visa authorities, as required to process your Umrah or Hajj visa
  • Payment processors, to handle card payments securely (we do not store full card details ourselves)
  • IT and hosting providers, who process data on our behalf under contract
  • Regulatory bodies (such as ATOL/the Civil Aviation Authority or IATA), where required for compliance and consumer protection
  • Professional advisers (e.g. accountants, insurers) where necessary

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International transfers

Because Hajj and Umrah require sharing certain data with authorities and service providers in Saudi Arabia, some of your data will be transferred outside the UK. Where this happens, we take steps to ensure it is protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection law, and such transfers are generally necessary to perform your booking contract (i.e. to obtain your visa and confirm your travel).

5. How long we keep your data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including:

  • For the duration of your booking and a reasonable period afterwards to handle any post-travel queries or complaints
  • For as long as required by UK tax, accounting or consumer protection law
  • Marketing data, until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent

6. Payment information

Card payments are processed by our third-party payment provider. We do not store complete card numbers on our own systems. Please refer to your payment provider’s own privacy policy for how they handle your payment data.

7. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

  1. Be informed about how your data is used (this policy)
  2. Access the personal data we hold about you
  3. Have inaccurate data corrected
  4. Request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”), where applicable
  5. Restrict how we process your data in certain circumstances
  6. Receive your data in a portable format (“data portability”)
  7. Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing
  8. Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that significantly affect you

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [insert email address]. We will respond within the timeframes required by UK GDPR.

If you are unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk, though we’d appreciate the chance to resolve any concern directly first.

8. Cookies

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use the Site. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings; doing so may affect how some parts of the Site function. [Expand this section, or link to a dedicated Cookie Policy, once your cookie consent tool/plugin is confirmed.]

9. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or misuse, including secure hosting, restricted access to booking and passport data, and encrypted transmission of payment details. No online system is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

10. Children’s data

Our packages sometimes include family travel involving children. Where we collect data about a child (e.g. for a visa application), we do so with the consent and involvement of the child’s parent or guardian, who is responsible for the accuracy of the information provided.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post the updated version on this page with a revised “last updated” date, and where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to notify you.

12. Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at:

  • Email: info@alhidayahtours.com
  • Post: Unit 1, Eastwood Trading Estate, Shaw Road, Rotherham, England S65 1SG, United Kingdom

This document was drafted as a starting point and has not been reviewed by a solicitor. Given that this business handles passport data, visa applications and international data transfers to Saudi Arabia, we’d recommend having a solicitor or GDPR consultant review the final wording before publishing — particularly Sections 4, 7 and 8 — to make sure it accurately reflects your actual data flows, retention periods, and any specific systems (booking software, CRM, payment gateway) you use.

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