Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At Barakah Travel & Heritage Tours, we are dedicated to curating meaningful travel experiences while ensuring the dignity, respect, and confidentiality of every participant. We understand the responsibility of handling your personal information and are committed to safeguarding your privacy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect the information you entrust to us when you visit our website, register for our tours, or communicate with our team. By using our services, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information necessary to facilitate your travel, ensure your safety, and provide a seamless educational experience. This includes:

A. Personal Identification Information

• Full name
• Mailing address
• Email address
• Phone number
• Date of birth

B. Government & Travel Documentation

• Passport details (number, expiration, issuance)
• Visa documentation
• Immigration status verification (confirming U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency)

C. Payment Information

• Billing address
• Payment method details (processed via secure third-party providers)
• Transaction history

D. Health & Special Accommodations Information

• Medical disclosures relevant to travel (e.g., allergies, conditions requiring medication)
• Dietary restrictions
• Mobility or accessibility needs

E. Media & Communication Data

• Photographs and video recordings taken during tours
• Testimonials or feedback provided by you
• Records of your correspondence with us (emails, forms, inquiries)

F. Technical Information

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Cookies and usage data regarding your interaction with our website

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely for the purpose of delivering high-quality, education-based travel services. Specifically, we use your data to:

• Process your registration and secure your spot on our tours.
• Obtain necessary Umrah visas and travel permits on your behalf.
• Coordinate flights, accommodations, and ground transport with our licensed partners.
• Communicate critical trip updates, itineraries, and safety information.
• Provide customer support and respond to your inquiries.
• Maintain internal records for legal, accounting, and compliance purposes.
• Improve the functionality and user experience of our website.
• Send relevant updates or marketing communications (you may opt out at any time).

We do not sell your personal information.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Our processing of your data is based on:

• Contractual Necessity: To fulfill our agreement to provide travel services to you.
• Legal Obligations: To comply with travel regulations, visa requirements, and financial laws.
• Legitimate Interests: To operate our business effectively, ensure safety, and improve our offerings.
• Consent: Where applicable, we obtain your explicit consent for specific uses of data (e.g., marketing or sensitive health data).

5. Data Sharing & Third Parties

To facilitate your journey, we must share limited necessary data with trusted third-party service providers. These may include:

• Licensed Umrah and Hajj service providers.
• Airlines, hotels, and ground transportation companies.
• Visa processing agencies and government immigration authorities.
• Secure payment processing gateways.
• Travel insurance providers (if applicable).
• Advertising measurement (Meta Pixel), as described in Section 9.

Barakah Travel & Heritage Tours does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes. We expect all our partners to maintain reasonable data protection safeguards.

6. Data Security Measures

We take the security of your data seriously and have implemented robust technical and organizational measures to protect it, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for everything sent to or from this site.
• When we take card payments, it will be through a PCI-compliant gateway. We do not take card payments on this website today, and we never store card numbers ourselves.
• Restricted internal access to sensitive personal data (only authorized staff).
• Data minimization practices (collecting only what is needed).
• Passport scans, photographs and passport numbers are sent over an encrypted connection and encrypted by us with AES-256 before they are stored in Google Cloud (Firebase). The encryption key is held separately in Google Secret Manager. Only named Barakah staff can open them, every access is logged, and once submitted they cannot be downloaded from your account.
• Regular review of our security procedures.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, please remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Passport and visa-related data are retained only as long as required by travel regulations and necessary for the completion of your trip. You may request the deletion of your data where legally permissible (see "Your Rights").

8. Your Rights

As a valued participant, you have rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You have the right to request copies of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You have the right to request correction of any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Deletion: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, subject to certain legal conditions.
• Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of marketing communications at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 14.

9. Cookies, Analytics & Advertising

Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze site traffic. These small text files help us understand how you use our site and improve its functionality. You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options, though this may affect your ability to use certain features of the website.

Meta Pixel. Our public pages (home, journeys, contact and the reservation page) use the Meta Pixel from Meta Platforms, Inc. It tells Meta when someone who saw our Facebook or Instagram ads visits the site, sends an enquiry, starts a reservation or pays a deposit, so we can measure our ads and show them to people more likely to be interested. Meta receives your browser and device information, the page visited and the action taken, and may match this to your Meta account. Where a form is submitted, Meta may receive your email address and phone number in a scrambled (hashed) form for matching. The pixel is never used on your account dashboard, onboarding, passport or visa pages, and no passport, waiver or payment card information is ever shared with Meta. Meta's use of this information is governed by the Meta Privacy Policy.

Opting out. We honor the Global Privacy Control signal: if your browser sends it, the Meta Pixel does not load. You can also turn off ad measurement for this browser here:

Turn off ad tracking on this browser

You can also control ads you see on Facebook and Instagram in your Meta Ad preferences.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children without verified parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us immediately.

11. International Data Transfers

Due to the international nature of our tours (including travel to Saudi Arabia and other heritage destinations), your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries outside the United States.

By providing your information, you consent to this transfer. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy, regardless of where it is processed.

12. Media Usage

We may photograph or record video of participants during our tours for use in our promotional materials, website, and social media. By participating in a tour, you grant us permission to use reasonable likenesses in these contexts.

If you prefer not to appear in such media, you must notify us in writing prior to your departure date, and we will make every reasonable effort to respect your wishes.

13. Policy Updates

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Baraka Travel & Heritage Tours Inc
2353 Rice St Suite 116
Saint Paul, MN 55113
Email: info@barakahheritage.com