Visit Christchurch

Visit Christchurch Privacy Notice

(Operated by Christchurch Town Council)
Last updated: 10/03/2026

Visit Christchurch is the official destination marketing service for the Christchurch area and is operated by Christchurch Town Council (“the Council”, “we”, “our”, “us”).
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data securely and lawfully.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal data when you interact with Visit Christchurch — whether as a visitor, resident, local business, partner, or event organiser.

1. Data Controller

Christchurch Town Council is the Data Controller for all personal data collected through the Visit Christchurch website and related services.

Email: tourism@christchurch-tc.gov.uk
Postal address:
Christchurch Town Council
Old Town Hall
30 High Street
Christchurch
BH23 1EA

If you have any questions about how we use your data, please contact us using the details above.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you use our website or services, we may collect:

Your name
Email address
Business or organisation name (where applicable)
Contact preferences
Event details you submit
Information relating to membership schemes or business engagement
Any correspondence you send us

We do not routinely collect special category (sensitive) personal data. If we ever need to, we will explain why and how it will be used.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect data when you:

Sign up for updates or newsletters
Complete information or enquiry forms
Submit events or business information
Contact us by email
Interact with our website

We may also receive data from third‑party service providers that support our website or communications systems, acting on our behalf.

4. Why We Use Your Data (Purposes)

We process personal data in order to:

Respond to your enquiries
Send tourism updates, newsletters, or business membership information
Manage events, partnership opportunities, and local business engagement
Promote the Christchurch area as a visitor destination
Administer registration or interest forms
Improve the user experience on our website

All processing is strictly limited to the purposes described above.

5. Lawful Bases for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

Public Task

For activities carried out as part of the Council’s official functions, including tourism promotion, community engagement, and business support.

Consent

For optional communications such as newsletters, membership updates, promotional opportunities, or marketing.
You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing tourism@christchurch-tc.gov.uk.

Legitimate Interests

To support tourism promotion, partnership communication, and business engagement where these interests are balanced with your rights.

Contract

Where processing is necessary for providing services you have requested (e.g., processing event submissions).

Legal Obligation

Where we are required to comply with the law.

6. Website Provider and Third‑Party Processors

Visit Christchurch is hosted and operated using a third‑party website provider.
This means:

Some personal data (such as email addresses submitted via forms) is stored within the website provider’s secure backend system.
The provider acts only as a Data Processor, meaning they process data on our behalf and under our instruction.
They are contractually required to comply with UK GDPR.
They cannot use your data for their own purposes.

This setup is standard practice and does not change the fact that Christchurch Town Council remains the Data Controller.

7. How We Store and Secure Your Data

We store data securely using appropriate technical and organisational measures.
Access is restricted to authorised Council staff and approved processors.

8. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing.

We may share your data only when:

You have given explicit consent, or
It is required by law, or
It is necessary for the performance of our public duties

Examples include passing on information to relevant authorities or working with service providers who help us deliver tourism‑related activities.

9. International Transfers

If any of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place (such as UK-approved international transfer mechanisms).

We will inform you if an international transfer affects your personal data.

10. How Long We Keep Your Data

For some of the information we hold there is legislation that sets out how long we must keep it for; we must keep some types of information for very long periods of time. Where there is no legislation, the length of time we keep information will be based on our business needs and best practice guidance.

Where you unsubscribe or withdraw consent, we will retain a minimal suppression record to ensure we do not contact you again unless requested.

11. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

Request access to your personal data
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your data (in certain circumstances)
Request restriction of processing
Object to certain types of processing
Withdraw consent at any time
Request data portability (where applicable)
Not be subject to automated decision‑making

To exercise any of these rights, email: tourism@christchurch-tc.gov.uk

12. Your Right to Complain

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details above.
You also have the right to complain to:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

13. Email Privacy

Emails sent to or from @christchurch-tc.gov.uk may contain confidential information.

By emailing us, you agree that:

We may process your contact details to respond to your enquiry
Email communications cannot be guaranteed as fully secure, despite our best efforts

If you receive an email from us in error, please notify the sender and delete it.