Privacy policy

Last updated: 10 August 2026

GuidesUnited is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, responsible and secure manner.

GuidesUnited is operated by Cultural Switzerland Tourism, a Swiss company, and is subject to applicable Swiss data protection law.

We believe that transparency should apply not only to money, but also to personal data.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not rent your personal data. We do not sell your information to advertisers or data brokers.

We collect and process personal data only when we have a legitimate reason to do so, such as providing our services, processing bookings and payments, communicating with you, protecting the platform, complying with legal obligations, or improving our services.

1. Who is responsible for your personal data?

The responsible entity for the processing of personal data on GuidesUnited is:

Cultural Switzerland Tourism
Switzerland

Privacy contact: info@guidesunited.com

For questions concerning privacy or the processing of your personal data, you can contact us at the email address above.

Cultural Switzerland Tourism is subject primarily to Swiss data protection legislation, including the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP/DSG) and its implementing ordinance.

Where applicable to our activities and to particular users, other data protection laws may also apply, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Our fundamental privacy principles

GuidesUnited follows several basic principles.

We do not sell personal data

We do not sell, rent, license or otherwise commercially trade your personal data to third parties.

We do not operate a data-broker business.

We do not provide advertisers with your personal information so that they can independently market products or services to you.

We collect what we need

We try to collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide, secure and improve GuidesUnited.

We explain why we collect it

We aim to make the purpose of our data processing understandable.

We protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure or destruction.

Your data is not our product

GuidesUnited's business model is based on providing a marketplace and related services.

Personal data is not a product that we sell.

3. What personal data do we collect?

The information we collect depends on how you use GuidesUnited.

This may include:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number, where provided
• Country of residence
• Preferred language
• Profile photograph
• Profile description
• Account information
• Booking information
• Payment and transaction information
• Reviews and ratings
• Messages and communications
• Technical information such as IP address, browser and device information
• Information provided to customer support
• Information provided by guides concerning their professional activities

For guides and tour operators, we may additionally process information necessary to establish and operate a professional marketplace profile.

4. Information provided by guides and tour operators

If you register as a guide, tour operator or experience provider, we may collect additional information required to operate your marketplace profile.

This may include:

• Professional name
• Business or trading name
• Business address
• Contact information
• Professional biography
• Languages spoken
• Qualifications or professional credentials
• Tour and experience descriptions
• Photographs and videos
• Locations where services are offered
• Availability
• Pricing
• Cancellation policies
• Booking information
• Payment and payout information
• Information required for identity or business verification
• Information required for tax, accounting or legal compliance

Some information may be publicly visible on your GuidesUnited profile.

5. Booking and transaction information

When you make or receive a booking, we process information necessary to administer the transaction.

This may include:

• Booking number
• Tour or experience booked
• Date and time
• Price
• Platform cost
• Currency
• Payment status
• Refund information
• Cancellation information
• Guide and traveller information
• Payout information
• Relevant communications

Payment card information is generally processed by our payment service providers rather than stored directly by GuidesUnited.

We do not need to store your full payment card number in order to operate the marketplace.

6. Messaging and communications

GuidesUnited provides messaging functionality allowing travellers and guides to communicate regarding experiences and bookings.

Messages and related metadata may be processed in order to:

• Deliver messages
• Maintain the messaging service
• Protect users
• Prevent fraud and abuse
• Investigate reported problems
• Protect the security of the platform
• Detect attempts to move transactions outside the platform where necessary to protect the integrity of the marketplace

GuidesUnited may use automated technical mechanisms to identify patterns such as phone numbers, email addresses or external website addresses in messages.

The purpose of these measures is to help maintain a secure marketplace, protect users and support the operating model of GuidesUnited.

We do not use private messages as a source of data to sell to advertisers or data brokers.

7. Why we ask users not to exchange external contact information

GuidesUnited operates on a transparent, low-cost marketplace model.

Unlike commission-based marketplaces, our model is designed around transparent platform costs rather than taking a percentage of the guide's earnings.

Keeping bookings and relevant communications on the platform helps us provide:

• Secure payment processing
• Booking records
• Verified reviews
• Customer support
• Fraud prevention
• Platform security

For these reasons, we may restrict or warn against exchanging phone numbers, email addresses or external website addresses through marketplace messaging.

This is not because we consider your personal information to be a commercial asset.

We do not sell your personal data.

Our objective is to maintain a marketplace that can continue operating with transparent and sustainable costs.

8. Reviews and ratings

After an eligible booking, users may be able to leave ratings and reviews.

Reviews may contain:

• Rating
• Written comments
• Traveller or guide name
• Profile photograph
• Date or approximate date of the experience
• Information about the relevant experience

Reviews may be publicly visible.

We may moderate, remove or restrict reviews that violate our terms, contain unlawful material, disclose personal data belonging to third parties, or are abusive, fraudulent or misleading.

9. Website and technical information

When you visit GuidesUnited, our systems may automatically process technical information such as:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Operating system
• Device type
• Language settings
• Date and time of access
• Pages visited
• Referring page
• Technical logs
• Error information
• Security-related events

This information may be used to operate the website, maintain security, detect attacks, diagnose technical problems, prevent fraud and improve performance.

Technical logs are not used to create a commercial profile of you for sale to third parties.

10. How we use personal data

We may process personal data for the following purposes:

• Providing and operating the GuidesUnited platform
• Creating and managing accounts
• Publishing and displaying experiences
• Processing bookings and payments
• Processing refunds and payouts
• Connecting travellers and guides
• Providing customer support
• Communicating important service information
• Preventing fraud and abuse
• Maintaining platform security
• Improving the website and services
• Complying with legal, tax and accounting obligations
• Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims
• Protecting the rights and safety of users and GuidesUnited

11. Who may receive personal data?

We do not sell personal data.

However, operating a global marketplace requires us to work with certain service providers.

Depending on the services you use, personal data may be processed by:

• Payment providers
• Hosting and cloud infrastructure providers
• Email delivery providers
• Authentication providers
• Security and fraud-prevention providers
• Customer-support providers
• Analytics providers
• IT and software providers
• Professional advisers
• Legal or accounting providers
• Government authorities where legally required

These providers receive only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant service.

Where we use a processor to process personal data on our behalf, we take appropriate measures to ensure that the processing is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

12. Data sharing between travellers and guides

GuidesUnited is a marketplace.

Some information must therefore be shared between the parties to a booking so that the booked service can be provided.

Depending on the circumstances, a guide may receive information such as:

• Traveller name
• Booking details
• Number of participants
• Relevant meeting or pickup information
• Necessary special requests
• Information contained in relevant booking communications

Similarly, a traveller may see information about the guide or experience provider, including:

• Name
• Profile
• Professional information
• Reviews
• Experience information
• Relevant booking information

We aim to share only information reasonably necessary for the relevant interaction.

13. International data transfers

GuidesUnited operates globally and may use service providers located in countries outside Switzerland.

Personal data may therefore be processed or stored outside Switzerland.

Where personal data is transferred abroad, GuidesUnited will comply with the applicable requirements of Swiss data protection law.

Where necessary, appropriate legal safeguards will be used for international transfers.

14. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data.

Depending on the nature of the information and risks involved, these measures may include:

• Encryption in transit
• Secure authentication
• Access controls
• Password hashing
• Server and application security
• Monitoring and logging
• Backups
• Security updates
• Restricted administrative access
• Fraud and abuse prevention
• Secure payment processing
• Internal access policies

No internet service can guarantee absolute security.

If we become aware of a personal data security incident, we will assess it and take the measures required under applicable law.

15. How long we keep your data

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law.

Different categories of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

For example:

• Account information may be retained while your account remains active.
• Booking and transaction records may need to be retained for accounting, tax or legal purposes.
• Customer-support communications may be retained for an appropriate period to manage disputes and support.
• Security logs may be retained for a limited period appropriate to security requirements.
• Marketing information may be deleted or suppressed when you unsubscribe, subject to necessary records.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it or otherwise securely dispose of it, subject to applicable legal retention requirements.

16. Your data: download and deletion

GuidesUnited provides users with direct control over their account data.

Download your data

You can request and download the personal data associated with your GuidesUnited account directly from your Profile page.

The available download may include information associated with your account, subject to applicable legal and technical limitations.

Delete your data and account

You can also initiate account and data deletion directly from your Profile page.

When you request deletion, we will delete or anonymise personal data that is no longer necessary, subject to information that we are legally required or otherwise legitimately entitled to retain.

For example, certain booking, payment, accounting, tax, fraud-prevention or legal records may need to be retained for a defined period.

Where information must be retained, we will restrict its use to the purposes for which retention is legally or operationally necessary.

17. Other privacy rights

Subject to applicable legal conditions and limitations, you may also have the right to:

• Request information about personal data we process about you
• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of personal data
• Object to certain processing
• Request restriction of certain processing
• Request data portability where applicable
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

For privacy questions or requests that cannot be handled through your Profile page, contact:

info@guidesunited.com

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

18. Children's privacy

GuidesUnited is primarily intended for users who are able to enter into contracts for travel services.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in circumstances where such collection is prohibited by applicable law.

19. Third-party websites

GuidesUnited may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties.

When you leave GuidesUnited, we recommend reviewing the privacy policy of the destination website or service.

20. Fraud prevention and platform integrity

Because GuidesUnited operates a marketplace, we may process information to detect and prevent:

• Fraudulent bookings
• Payment fraud
• Fake accounts
• Fake reviews
• Account takeovers
• Abuse of messaging systems
• Attempts to circumvent platform security
• Other activity that threatens users or the platform

Automated systems may assist in identifying suspicious activity.

21. Business transfers

If Cultural Switzerland Tourism or GuidesUnited is involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, financing, sale of assets or similar transaction, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction where legally permitted and subject to applicable data protection requirements.

Any such transfer will remain subject to applicable privacy obligations.

22. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time because of:

• Changes to our services
• New technologies
• Changes to our data processing practices
• Changes in legal requirements
• Security or operational developments

The latest version will always be published on GuidesUnited.

The Last updated date at the top of this document indicates when the policy was most recently revised.

Where legally required, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent.

23. Our commitment

GuidesUnited was created around a simple principle:

Transparency should not stop at pricing. It should include personal data too.

We do not believe that people's personal information should be treated as another source of hidden revenue.

We do not sell personal data.

We do not rent personal data.

We do not operate a data-broker business.

We collect and process personal data because a global marketplace needs information to function — to make bookings, process payments, connect travellers and guides, maintain security and provide support.

We aim to collect only what we need, explain why we need it, protect it responsibly and give users meaningful control over their information.

Your data is yours. It is not our product.

GuidesUnited is built on trust. That includes the way we handle your data.

24. Contact

Cultural Switzerland Tourism

Halit CELIK

Route du Pavement 37

1018, Lausanne
Switzerland

GuidesUnited Privacy Contact:
info@guidesunited.com

For questions, requests or concerns relating to privacy and personal data, please contact us at the address above.

Version: 1.0
Last updated: 10 August 2026