Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 June 2024
Effective date: 1 June 2024

This Privacy Policy applies to the website cairo-passes.sbs ("the Site") and all associated services operated by Nile Horizon Travel Guides Ltd. ("we", "us", "our"), a company registered in Egypt with GAFI Registry number 428719, Tax ID (ETA) 672-418-953, with registered address at 14 Talaat Harb Street, 4th Floor, Cairo 11511, Egypt. For privacy-related correspondence, contact us at [email protected] or by post at the address above.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all visitors to the Site, including those who submit information through the contact form ("enquirers"), those who purchase a research plan ("clients"), and any other individuals who interact with our services. By accessing the Site or submitting information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy. If you are under 16 years of age, you must obtain parental or guardian consent before submitting any personal information to us.

2. What Information We Collect

We collect only the information reasonably necessary to respond to your enquiry, deliver the service you have requested, or fulfil our legal obligations. We do not collect data speculatively or in excess of what is needed.

Information you provide directly:

• Contact form submissions: Name, email address, planned travel dates, regions of interest, the text of your message, and the enquiry category you select. These fields are submitted when you complete the form on our contact page.
• Plan purchase communications: If you proceed to purchase a research plan, we will exchange email communications containing relevant trip details you choose to share. We do not process card payments directly — these are handled by a third-party PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway, which has its own privacy policy. We receive only a confirmation of successful payment, not card details.
• Email correspondence: Any information contained in emails you send to [email protected] becomes part of your correspondence record, which we retain as described in Section 6 below.

Information collected automatically:

• Server logs: Our web hosting provider logs standard HTTP request data, including IP address, browser type, referring URL, and pages requested. These logs are held by the hosting provider and used solely for security monitoring and service diagnostics. We do not use this data for marketing or tracking purposes.
• No tracking scripts: This Site does not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, or any other third-party behavioural tracking script. We do not track you across other websites. We do not serve behavioural advertising.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information you provide exclusively for the purposes described below:

• Responding to your enquiry with the information or plan document you requested
• Coordinating payment for research plans via a secure third-party gateway
• Scheduling and conducting video consultation sessions (Expert Consultation plan)
• Providing follow-up answers within the period specified in your plan tier
• Complying with legal obligations under Egyptian law and applicable international regulations
• Detecting and preventing fraud or misuse of our services

We do not use your information to send unsolicited marketing communications. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for commercial purposes. We do not use your data to build advertising profiles.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Where European data protection law (GDPR) applies to your data — for example, if you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom — we rely on the following legal bases for processing:

• Contract performance: Processing is necessary to perform the service you have requested (delivery of a research plan or consultation).
• Legitimate interests: Responding to general enquiries, maintaining security, and improving the quality of our service. We have assessed that these legitimate interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights.
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent, such as ticking the consent checkbox on our contact form. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected].
• Legal obligation: Where required by law to retain or disclose data.

5. Sharing Your Information With Third Parties

We share your personal data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Payment processing: Your payment details are processed by our third-party payment gateway. We share your name and email address with the gateway solely to generate a payment link. The gateway processes card data under its own privacy and security frameworks (PCI-DSS compliance).
• Video conferencing: If you book an Expert Consultation, the video session will be conducted via a third-party video platform (currently Zoom or Google Meet, at your preference). Your connection details will be shared with that platform in accordance with its terms.
• Hosting provider: Our web host processes server log data as described above. The hosting provider operates under contractual obligations to maintain data confidentiality.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights, prevent fraud, or ensure the safety of individuals.

We do not transfer your data to countries without adequate data protection frameworks without implementing appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

• Contact form submissions (enquiry only, no purchase): Retained for 12 months from the date of your last message, then permanently deleted.
• Client records (plan purchase): Retained for 5 years from the date of your final plan delivery, in accordance with our obligations under Egyptian commercial law (Law No. 17 of 1999 on Commercial Activities) and tax record requirements.
• Email correspondence: Retained in line with the above categories, depending on whether a purchase was made.
• Payment records: Retained for 7 years as required for VAT and tax compliance under Egyptian Tax Authority regulations.
• Server logs: Retained by the hosting provider according to their standard policies, typically 30–90 days.

When the applicable retention period expires, data is deleted securely. Deletion of emails and form data is permanent and irreversible.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our Site (TLS 1.2 or higher)
• Access controls limiting who within our team can access contact records
• Use of a PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment gateway so that card data never passes through our systems
• Regular review of access permissions as team members join or leave

No transmission of data over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we take all reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected individuals and relevant regulatory authorities as required by applicable law.

8. Cookies

This Site does not use cookies for tracking, analytics, or advertising purposes. The Site operates without any session cookies, persistent cookies, or localStorage values being set by our own code or by third-party scripts. Your browser may store standard HTTP cache files (images, CSS, JavaScript) for performance purposes — this is a browser-level function, not a cookie, and contains no personal data.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You may ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure: You may ask us to delete your data where we have no legal basis to retain it. Note that tax and commercial record obligations may mean some data must be retained for the minimum statutory period.
• Right to restrict processing: You may ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract, you may request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, and we will cease processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected] with "Data Rights Request" in the subject line. We will respond within one month. If you believe your rights have not been upheld, you may lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults aged 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under 16. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a person under 16 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that data promptly. If you believe a child has submitted data to us, please contact us at [email protected].

11. Links to External Websites

This Site may contain links to external websites — for example, official Egyptian government portals, museum websites, or the Egypt e-visa system. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those external sites. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit via a link from our pages.

12. Third-Party Services Referenced

We reference external services that you may choose to use in connection with your Egypt trip (such as the official e-visa portal, the Supreme Council of Antiquities ticket booking system, or domestic airline booking platforms). Using these services is subject to their own terms and privacy policies, which are entirely separate from ours. We do not receive data from your use of those services unless you directly share it with us.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We will not reduce your rights under this policy without your explicit consent. For significant changes affecting how we use your data, we will notify active clients by email.

Continued use of the Site after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, please discontinue use of the Site and contact us to request deletion of your data.

14. Contact & Complaints

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints regarding this policy or our data practices, please contact:

Nile Horizon Travel Guides Ltd.
Data Privacy Contact
14 Talaat Harb Street, 4th Floor
Cairo 11511, Egypt
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +20 2 2579-3840

We take privacy concerns seriously and aim to resolve all complaints within 30 days. If you are located in the European Union or United Kingdom and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant national supervisory authority.