Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Visit Bari srl, operator of the VisitBariOfficial marketplace (the “Site” or “Platform”), collects, uses, discloses and safeguards your personal data in connection with your use of the Site. Visit Bari Official is an independent online marketplace that connects guests with owners of vacation homes and apartments located in the city of Bari, Italy. We are a showcase, not an online travel agency: we do not handle guest payments, we do not accept reservations on behalf of owners, and we are not a party to any rental agreement concluded between a guest and an owner. Reading this document carefully is important: it describes your rights and how to exercise them.

1. Data controller

The data controller of the personal data processed through the Site is Visit Bari srl, with registered office in Bari, Italy. The controller is responsible for determining the purposes and means of the processing of your personal data. For any matter relating to the protection of your personal data, including requests to exercise your rights, you can contact the controller by email at info@visitbariofficial.com. Where required by applicable law, an internal data protection officer or equivalent contact can be reached at the same address. We commit to responding to all legitimate enquiries within the time limits set by applicable law.

2. Categories of personal data we collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identification and account data: full name, email address, password (stored only as a cryptographic hash), and any profile details you provide when you register as an owner.
• Contact data: telephone number and email address that you, as an owner, choose to publish on your listings so that guests can reach you directly. This data is visible to all Site visitors by design.
• Listing data: property title, description, address, geographic coordinates, zone of Bari, photographs, price per night, amenities, availability calendar and any other information you enter to describe your property.
• Guest enquiry data: name, email, telephone and message that a guest enters when sending a contact request about a listing.
• Technical and navigation data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring URL, time of access and pages visited, collected automatically through cookies and server logs.
• Usage and preference data: search queries, filters applied, listings viewed, favourites saved and language preference, used to improve and personalise the experience.
• Communication data: the content of messages you send to us and our replies, kept for support and legal purposes.

3. How we collect your data

We collect data that you provide directly when you register, create or edit a listing, send a contact request, subscribe to a plan or write to us. We also collect data automatically when you visit the Site, through cookies and similar technologies and through our server logs. Finally, we may receive data from third parties, such as calendar synchronisation feeds (iCal) that you connect to your listing, but only the data you actively choose to import.

4. Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract: to create and manage your account and to publish and display your listings, which are necessary to provide the service you requested.
• Consent: for the publication of your contact details on your listings, for non-essential cookies and for any optional processing where you have given explicit, informed consent.
• Legitimate interest: to secure the Platform, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our Terms and improve the service, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation: where we are required to retain or disclose data under applicable law, regulation or competent authority order.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Withdrawing consent may, however, limit the functionality available to you (for example, an owner who does not consent to publishing contact details cannot offer direct booking).

5. Purposes of processing

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Create, manage and authenticate owner accounts.
• Publish and display listings and owner contact details publicly so guests can book directly.
• Verify listings, moderate content and prevent fraud, duplicate listings or abuse.
• Enable calendar synchronisation with external platforms via iCal links you provide.
• Process contact requests from guests and forward them to the relevant owner.
• Respond to your support requests and provide assistance.
• Compile anonymous or aggregated statistics to improve search, filters and the overall experience.
• Ensure the security, integrity and availability of the Platform.
• Comply with legal obligations and defend our rights where necessary.

We never sell your personal data to third parties.

6. Recipients and sharing of data

Listing data and owner contact details are visible to all Site visitors by design, because the very purpose of the marketplace is to enable direct contact between guest and owner. Beyond this, we share personal data only with the following categories of recipients, acting as processors or sub-processors under our instructions and bound by confidentiality obligations:

• Hosting and infrastructure providers that host the Site and store its data.
• Analytics providers that help us understand how the Site is used, configured to collect only aggregate or pseudonymous data where possible.
• Email and notification providers used to deliver transactional and service messages.
• Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or a binding order of a competent authority.

We do not disclose your personal data to third parties for their own independent marketing purposes. Owners remain solely responsible for any data they choose to publish on their listings.

7. International data transfers

Some of the recipients listed above may be located outside the European Economic Area, including in countries that have not received an adequacy decision from the European Commission. Where this occurs, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, Binding Corporate Rules or another lawful transfer mechanism, and we take all reasonable measures to ensure your data is protected to a standard equivalent to that required within the European Union.

8. Retention of personal data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, and in any case for no longer than is permitted or required by applicable law. Account and listing data are kept for as long as your account is active. After an account is closed, we retain data only where necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes or enforce our agreements, and then delete or anonymise it. Technical and usage data are retained for a limited period necessary for security and statistical analysis. You may request early deletion of your data at any time, subject to legal retention obligations.

9. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Site and to improve it. We distinguish between:

• Essential cookies: required to keep you logged in, maintain your session and remember your language preference. These cannot be disabled if you wish to use the Site.
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it. These are only placed with your consent.
• Preference cookies: store choices you make, such as the display language, to improve your experience.

We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or cross-site profiling. You can manage or disable non-essential cookies at any time through your browser settings or via the consent banner shown on first visit. Disabling cookies may limit some functionality.

10. Security measures

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or disclosure. These include encrypted transmission (HTTPS/TLS), hashed passwords, restricted access on a need-to-know basis, regular security reviews and staff training. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a personal data breach likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the competent supervisory authority and, where required, the affected individuals, in accordance with applicable law.

11. Your rights

Under applicable data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data and obtain a copy of it.
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Erase your personal data (“right to be forgotten”), subject to legal exceptions.
• Restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interest or carried out for direct marketing.
• Data portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and transmit it to another controller.
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence or place of the alleged infringement.

To exercise any of these rights, write to info@visitbariofficial.com. We will respond to legitimate requests within one month of receipt; where this period is extended due to the complexity of the request, we will inform you within that same period.

12. Automated decision-making

We do not carry out automated decision-making that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. Some internal processes, such as listing review and content moderation, may be assisted by automated tools, but a human review is always available. You may request human intervention and express your point of view regarding any automated assessment.

13. Profiling

We do not engage in profiling for the purpose of targeted advertising. We may use limited usage data to personalise the order of search results and to suggest relevant listings, but this does not constitute profiling within the meaning of applicable data protection law.

14. Minors

The Site is not intended for minors. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18 years of age, and owners must be of legal age to enter into binding contracts under Italian law. If you believe that a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

15. Links to third-party sites

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, such as maps, social media profiles or external calendar services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies. This policy applies only to data collected through the Site.

16. Owner responsibility for published data

Owners who publish contact details, photographs or other information on their listings are solely responsible for that data and for ensuring they have the necessary rights and consents (for example, consents from any identifiable persons appearing in photographs). Visit Bari Official acts as a hosting provider for this user-generated content and, in accordance with applicable law, will promptly remove unlawful content upon receiving a valid notice.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or the features of the Site. The “last updated” date at the top of this page indicates the latest revision. We will notify you of material changes through a notice on the Site and, where appropriate, by email. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

18. Contact

For any question regarding this Privacy Policy or to exercise your rights, please contact us at info@visitbariofficial.com. We are committed to working with you to obtain a fair resolution of any privacy-related concern.