GDPR in Travel Industry

 

Data is becoming more central to every aspect of life in this ever-digitalizing world. Hence, it's time to protect its integrity, and as you may know, there are few laws that guarantee data is protected by all means. GDPR is one of the many laws that ensure data privacy. GDPR stands for "General Data Protection Regulation" and is monitored and regulated by the European Union. GDPR has established a few ground rules and regulations that state that one's data can only be stored where there is a lawful basis, like consent or obligation. Businesses that fail to adhere to GDPR policies can be fined huge sums that can amount to as much as 40% of their annual turnover. Apparently, WhatsApp was fined 225 million euros by the Irish government for violating GDPR policies because it failed to provide clear information to its users about how their data would be used, including how it would be handled between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies.

GDPR and the Travel Industry

There is no doubt that data plays a major role in the travel industry's evolution through its services and capabilities. It represents the most significant factor that will decide which competitor will prevail in this ever-growing industry.

With the implementation of GDPR, any travel sales and service organization that collects or processes data on any European Union member are subject to follow rules and regulations set by GDPR. The travel industry is global in nature, so compliance with GDPR is mandatory. Given the constant traffic of travelers across the globe, organizations should be extremely cautious when handling customer information.

Frequent interaction with potential customers is a regular part of working for a travel agency. Collecting customer data is an integral part of the business to ensure that customers receive the best experiences and services. Thus, a team of specialized professionals is needed to ensure that the regulations set forth by the GDPR are followed and that our customers' trust continues.

As you may know, the travel industry has two sets of potential customers, one consisting of travel enthusiasts, while the other consists of hotels and resorts. Therefore, it's our job to work to balance the perspectives of these two platforms.

So, how exactly does GDPR play a key component in the Travel Industry?

Taking customer consent where it’s needed, taking consent from users is a significant part of GDPR; it gives customers power over the data that’s being used and processed by the industry. Customers must give their permission for an industry to use their data and how that data can be used. For example, if a website or an application has a form that asks for your details, you may come across a few checkboxes at the end of the page asking for your consent to store and use your data.

Image Source: https://wpeverest.com/blog/how-to-create-gdpr-compliant-forms/

The travel industry even relies on mass email marketing and campaigns to promote its products and services to attract potential customers. GDPR even restricts such emails from being sent without the user’s consent. Yay, good news: "No Spam emails in your inbox anymore". 

We know that cookies are an important tool that can give industries a great deal of insight into their users' online activity. Even these cookies are governed by GDPR. Industries do not have the right to use and process users' data through cookies unless they consent from them. So, make sure to read ‘Terms and Conditions’ next time before accepting any cookies on a website.

Image Source: https://cookiebanner.com/#cookie-banner

Ensure Data Security, Travel industry often collect and store customers’ sensitive data like bank account details and phone number. Hence, this makes the travel industry an easy target for data security threats. You may be startled to know that, an investigation led by which in 2020 revealed that data of 339 million guests of Marriott was maliciously accessed by cybercriminals in 2018. 

Under GDPR policy, the industries are accountable for all the customer data they hold. The industries need to secure the access, usage, and processing of customer data across its organizational boundaries. Several audits need to be conducted to ensure that the tools, people, and resources responsible for handling the data are working as intended. At any point in time, the customers can request for their data to be deleted from the database.

How NOMADS can help travel industries with GDPR

We understand that GDPR is a complex and time-consuming process. Because of limited resources, start-ups in the travel industry find it extremely difficult to comply with GDPR. Therefore, we offer services to such industries at the most competitive prices. The services we provide are:

Data Storage: We believe that it’s easier to track and retrieve data when it is stored in proper order at one location. Don't worry if you don't have enough resources for that, we can assist you. Our cloud computing services offer subscription-based storage systems that are built with special algorithms to eliminate redundancies in Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Data Security: The travel industry faces a lot of challenges when it comes to securing data. Our encryption software provides two-layer security for the data stored on our cloud storage system. In addition, we have a team of specialized auditing professionals who are capable of locating any vulnerable areas on-site.

Data Abstraction: Companies need to be aware of the data that can be shared if they have the consent of the customer. Using our software's capabilities, we can implement strategies like pseudonyms, surrogate keys, data masking, and field-level encryption to significantly improve the aspects of data protection when sharing confidential data with other travel companies, including airlines and travel agents.

To conclude, GDPR is a good thing. As a consumer, it gives you confidence in your data; as an industry, it enhances customer relationships by helping you win their trust and build better relationships with them.

Author - Kashyap Srinivas