Best Practices for Tours and Activities: Marketing Consent

In our GDPR series, we explore the impact that these new regulations will have on tour and activity operators.

Best Practices for Tours and Activities GDPR 2018 Series:

Part 1: GDPR and the Travel Industry

Part 2: Data Collection and Privacy

Part 3: Marketing Consent

Part 4: Marketing Lists

Part 5: Policies and Processes

Part 6: Data Retention

Part 7: Workforce Data

Part 8: Privacy by Website Design

In late May 2018, a new set of regulations regarding data collection and processes went into effect, and travel industry businesses across the globe are striving to remain in compliance with these laws. The GDPR applies to all businesses in the European Union and to all businesses who conduct business with European Union residents, and there’s steep penalties in place for those who do not comply.

Rezdy is publishing a series of blog posts in order to provide tour and activity operators with the information they need to remain in compliance with GDPR. Marketing consent is one area in which compliance is critical.

What is Marketing Consent?

Marketing consent is the process of receiving explicit consent from your customers in order to send them electronic marketing information. Digital marketing has become one of the most effective ways of promoting a tour and activity company, from social ads to automatic e-mails and more. Now, the GDPR may require you to change the way that you distribute your digital marketing products.

Best Practices for Marketing Consent

Introduce a series of opt-in e-mails to your customers. An opt-in e-mail that is automatically distributed can quickly provide your customers with the information they need to know about your digital marketing programs, and will give them the opportunity to give expressed written consent to continue providing them with those materials. It should be noted that you form cannot be pre-ticked — the user will actually have to click the box themselves indicating that they are willing to receive information and materials from you.
Now that GDPR laws have gone into effect, it is important that you audit the forms that are currently on your website. There is a chance that these forms may not be in compliance, and may need to be adjusted in order to avoid penalties under the regulations. Again, your forms cannot assume consent simply by avoiding the topic. Your forms must clearly provide information about your data collection programs and marketing distribution strategies, and you must give the customer the opportunity to opt-in on their own.
If your tour and activity company uses pop-ups in order to collect data, you may have to revise how you use the data that is collected through this method. For example, if you offer a free brochure about your tours and activities through a pop-up, you can only use data collected in this manner to provide the information requested by the customer. You cannot use this e-mail to then begin distributing other marketing materials. In order to receive further marketing materials from your company, the user will have to clearly opt-in using one of your forms or opt-in e-mails that you have provided.

To continue learning about the impact GDPR may have on your tour and activity business, follow the Rezdy blog. Our series will provide insight into every aspect of the GDPR that you need to consider for your business.