Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1 March 2026

1. Who We Are

The Costa Guide is operated by a company registered in England and Wales, and is accessible at thecostaguide.com. We are the data controller for any personal data collected through this Site.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

Email: hello@thecostaguide.com

2. What Data We Collect

We collect limited personal data through the following channels:

Analytics data
We use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to collect anonymised information about how visitors use the Site, including pages viewed, referring sources, device type, and approximate geographic location. This data is aggregated and does not identify individual visitors.

Contact enquiries
If you contact us via email or a contact form, we receive your name, email address, and the content of your message.

Venue owner and business contact data
If you submit a venue, business, or listing for inclusion on the Site, or contact us in connection with a commercial arrangement, we collect the personal data you provide — which may include your name, business name, email address, phone number, and any other information you submit.

Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies as described in Section 6 below.

Affiliate tracking
If you click an affiliate link on the Site (such as a GetYourGuide link), the third-party platform may set its own tracking cookies on your device. This is governed by that platform's own privacy policy.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

Site improvement: Understanding how visitors use the Site to improve our content and user experience
Responding to enquiries: Replying to messages or questions you send us directly
Managing venue listings: Processing and maintaining venue or business listings submitted to the Site
Affiliate commission tracking: Tracking affiliate link performance to receive commissions from third-party booking partners
Legal compliance: Meeting our obligations under applicable law, including UK GDPR

4. Legal Basis for Processing

As a UK-registered business, we process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). We rely on the following legal bases:

Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): We have a legitimate interest in understanding how our Site is used and improving it. We also have a legitimate interest in maintaining accurate and useful listings for the benefit of our users. We have assessed that these interests are not overridden by your rights.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Where we use non-essential cookies or tracking technologies, we will ask for your consent before placing them. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b)): Where you have entered into an arrangement with us (such as submitting a venue listing or requesting a service), we process your data as necessary to fulfil that arrangement.

5. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

We may share limited data with the following categories of recipients:

Analytics providers
Such as Google Analytics, for site usage reporting. Google may process data in the United States under Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards.

Affiliate partners
Such as GetYourGuide, for commission tracking. Their own privacy policies govern how they handle your data once you access their platform.

Hosting and infrastructure providers
Who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements, as required by UK GDPR.

Legal or regulatory authorities
Where we are required to disclose data by law, court order, or regulatory requirement.

When we transfer personal data to recipients outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable.

6. Cookies

We use cookies to operate and improve the Site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

Strictly Necessary Cookies
These are required for the Site to function correctly (for example, to remember your cookie preferences). They cannot be disabled.

Analytics Cookies
These allow us to measure traffic and understand how visitors use the Site (for example, via Google Analytics). These cookies are only placed with your consent.

Affiliate & Marketing Cookies
When you click an affiliate link on the Site, third-party platforms may set cookies to track the referral and attribute any resulting commission. These are governed by the relevant third party's cookie and privacy policy.

You can manage or withdraw your cookie consent at any time via your browser settings or our cookie preference tool (if present on the Site). Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law:

Analytics data: Retained in aggregate or anonymised form. Raw IP data is typically anonymised within 26 months (Google Analytics default setting).
Email and contact enquiries: Retained for up to 24 months from the date of last contact, then securely deleted.
Venue owner and listing data: Retained for as long as the listing remains active, plus a reasonable period thereafter for administrative and legal purposes (typically 24 months after the listing is removed).
Affiliate tracking data: Retained in line with the terms of the relevant affiliate platform.

8. Your Rights (UK GDPR & GDPR)

This section applies to venue owners and business contacts whose personal data we hold as part of listing or managing a venue on The Costa Guide. General visitors to our website do not submit personal data and are not covered by this section.

As a UK-registered business, we process your data in accordance with the UK GDPR. If you are based in the UK or EEA, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of access — to request a copy of personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate data

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:

Email: hello@thecostaguide.com

We will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a UK-registered business, our lead supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. If you are based in the EU, you may also contact your local data protection authority — for example, in Spain this is the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) at aepd.es.

9. Children's Privacy

This Site is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at hello@thecostaguide.com and we will promptly delete it.

10. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include secure hosting, access controls, and regular review of our data handling practices.

However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. Whilst we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

11. Links to Third-Party Sites

Our Site contains links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to our Site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party websites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. When we do, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: hello@thecostaguide.com

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