Privacy Policy

Welcome to Vidya Tours and Travels. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you interact with our website, services, and business operations.

This Policy applies to all individuals who visit our website, contact us through any channel, book our services, or engage with us in any capacity. By using our services or providing your personal information, you consent to the practices described in this Policy.

Vidya Tours and Travels is a travel company registered and operating from Surat, Gujarat, India. Our registered office is located at Shop No 12, Shree Ram Trade Center, Udhna Main Road, Surat, Gujarat 394210, India.

We collect various types of information in connection with your use of our services. The types of personal information we may collect include:

• Contact Information: Full name, email address, phone number, mobile number, and postal address when you contact us, make an enquiry, or register with us.
• Booking Information: Travel dates, destinations, number of travelers, accommodation preferences, dietary requirements, special assistance needs, and other travel-related preferences.
• Identity Documents: When required for bookings, passport details, government-issued ID information, date of birth, and nationality.
• Payment Information: Bank account details, UPI IDs, or other payment method information required to process your transactions (processed securely through approved payment gateways).
• Communications: Records of your correspondence with us, including emails, WhatsApp messages, phone call records, and form submissions.
• Feedback and Reviews: Any feedback, reviews, ratings, or testimonials you provide about our services.

• Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, clicks, and navigation paths.
• Device Information: Your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies as described in our Cookies Policy section.
• Location Data: General geographic location inferred from your IP address.

• Information from travel partners, airlines, hotels, and service providers involved in delivering your booked services.
• Information from payment processors and financial institutions regarding transaction verification.
• Publicly available information from social media platforms if you interact with our social media accounts.

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To process your travel bookings, arrange accommodations, transportation, tours, and all other services you have requested from us.
• Customer Communication: To respond to your inquiries, send booking confirmations, itinerary details, travel updates, and important service notifications.
• Account Management: To manage your customer account, maintain records of your bookings, and track your preferences for future trips.
• Payment Processing: To process payments, refunds, and manage financial transactions related to your bookings.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and government requirements in India and destination countries.
• Service Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, identify areas for improvement, conduct market research, and enhance our services and customer experience.
• Safety and Security: To protect the safety and security of our customers, staff, and business operations.
• Marketing and Promotions: To send you promotional offers, travel deals, newsletters, and updates about our services — subject to your consent preferences as outlined in Section 4.
• Dispute Resolution: To resolve disputes, investigate complaints, and enforce our terms and conditions.

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. We may share your personal information in the following limited circumstances:

We share necessary personal information with our trusted service partners who help us deliver your travel experience. These include airlines and transport operators (for ticketing), hotels and resorts (for accommodation bookings), tour operators and local guides (for activities and sightseeing), travel insurance providers (for policy issuance), and visa processing agencies (when visa assistance is required). All service partners are bound by confidentiality agreements and are only permitted to use your information for the specific services they provide on our behalf.

We may disclose your personal information when required by law, regulation, court order, or governmental authority, including immigration and customs authorities in destination countries, law enforcement agencies when required by law, regulatory bodies overseeing the travel industry, and in response to legal proceedings or government investigations.

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or part of our business assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We may share your information with third parties when you have explicitly given us consent to do so, such as for photography or video content for our marketing materials, testimonials and reviews published on our website, or participation in loyalty programs operated by our partners.

We take the security of your personal information very seriously and implement a range of technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

Our security measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted through our website
• Secure password policies and multi-factor authentication for internal systems
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls ensuring only authorized personnel can access sensitive data
• Staff training on data protection and privacy best practices
• Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures

While we implement robust security measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining industry-standard protections for your data at all times. In the event of a data breach that may affect your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, and to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Our general retention periods are:

• Booking and transaction records: 7 years from the date of transaction (as required by Indian financial regulations)
• Customer account information: Duration of the relationship plus 3 years after last interaction
• Marketing consent records: Duration of consent plus 2 years after opt-out
• Website usage logs: 12 months from collection
• Customer feedback and complaints: 5 years from resolution

When personal information is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymize it. For physical documents, we use secure destruction methods.

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information that we hold:

• Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request that we provide your personal information in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we process your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@vidyatoursandtravels.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and understand where our visitors are coming from. A cookie is a small file placed on your device that enables certain website features and functionality.

• Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you, such as setting your privacy preferences or filling in forms.
• Analytics Cookies: These help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously, helping us improve our website's performance.
• Preference Cookies: These allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your preferred language or region) and provide enhanced, more personal features.
• Marketing Cookies: These may be set through our site by advertising partners to build a profile of your interests and show relevant advertising on other sites.

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, accept cookies, or delete cookies that have been accepted.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms, hotel booking platforms, airline websites, and tourism authority websites. These third-party sites have their own privacy policies, and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for their policies or how they handle your personal information.

We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites linked from our site, regardless of whether those links are provided by us or by users of our website.

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18 without the verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you are under 18, please do not submit any personal information to us without parental consent.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18 without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately at info@vidyatoursandtravels.com.

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make significant changes to this Policy, we will notify you by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending a notification to your registered email address
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website for 30 days following the update

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal information, please do not hesitate to contact us:

• Company Name: Vidya Tours and Travels
• Address: Shop No 12, Shree Ram Trade Center, Udhna Main Road, Surat, Gujarat 394210, India
• Email: info@vidyatoursandtravels.com
• Phone: +91 93448 70297
• Office Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST

We are committed to resolving any privacy concerns promptly and transparently. We will acknowledge your request within 3 business days and provide a full response within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in India.