Privacy Policy

Last updated: 17 Sep 2026 Effective date: 17 Sep 2026

Khourshem Tours (“Khourshem Tours,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website khourshemtours.com and provides Musandam Khasab dhow cruises, beach camping, mountain safaris, and related tour services in Khasab, Sultanate of Oman, including pickup services from the United Arab Emirates.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over it. It applies to visitors of khourshemtours.com, and to anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, or books a tour with us by phone, WhatsApp, email, or in person.

Please read this policy carefully. By using our website, contacting us, or booking a tour, you acknowledge that you have read and understood how we handle your personal data as described below. Where required by law, we will ask for your explicit consent before processing your data.

1. Who We Are

Khourshem Tours has operated Musandam tours and dhow cruises out of Khasab since our official registration on 3 October 2004. We are the data controller responsible for the personal data described in this policy.

Registered address: P.O. Box 335, PC No. 811, Khasab, Musandam, Sultanate of Oman Email: info@khourshemtours.com Phone / WhatsApp: +968 9206 7996 Website: https://khourshemtours.com

If you have any question about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us using the details above. See Section 15 for how to reach our privacy contact directly.

2. Scope of This Policy

This policy covers personal data we collect through:

• Our website, including booking forms, the package selector, contact forms, and newsletter sign-ups
• Phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and emails with our team
• Bookings made directly, through your hotel, or through a travel agent or online travel platform on your behalf
• Interactions on our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube) and review platforms such as TripAdvisor
• Photos and videos taken during tours, where used for service delivery or marketing

This policy does not cover the privacy practices of third-party websites, payment processors, or social media platforms we link to. Please review their own privacy policies separately.

3. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data needed to arrange, run, and improve your tour, and to meet our legal obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

1. a) Identity and contact data Full name, nationality, date of birth, email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, and postal or hotel address.
2. b) Travel and booking data Tour package selected, travel dates, number of guests, pickup location (Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, or Khasab), group composition, special requests, and occasion details (for example, birthday or anniversary bookings).
3. c) Travel document data Passport number, passport expiry date, nationality, visa status, and residency details, collected where needed to assist with Khasab border-crossing and visa-on-arrival formalities. This is sensitive information and is handled under stricter safeguards described in Section 8.
4. d) Payment data Billing name, billing address, and payment confirmation details. Card numbers and payment credentials are processed directly by our secure third-party payment gateway; we do not store full card details on our own systems.
5. e) Health and safety data Information you voluntarily share about medical conditions, allergies, mobility needs, or dietary requirements, where relevant to your safety on board a dhow, during camping, or during a mountain safari.
6. f) Communications data Records of calls, WhatsApp chats, emails, enquiry forms, and any feedback, complaints, or reviews you send us.
7. g) Technical and usage data IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring website, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and general location inferred from your IP address, collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies.
8. h) Marketing preferences Your choices about receiving newsletters, offers, or promotional messages, and your consent history for marketing communications.
9. i) Images and video Photos or video footage taken by our crew during cruises, camping trips, or safaris, which may include you and your travel companions.

We do not knowingly collect more sensitive categories of data, such as religious belief or biometric data, beyond what is described above.

4. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• Directly from you, when you fill in a booking or contact form, select a package, message us on WhatsApp, call or email us, sign up for our newsletter, leave a review, or speak with our crew during a tour.
• From third parties acting on your behalf, such as your hotel, a travel agent, a tour aggregator, or a corporate event organiser who submits a booking or enquiry for you.
• Automatically, through cookies, analytics tools, and server logs when you browse khourshemtours.com.
• From publicly available sources, such as your public social media profile, if you tag us or engage with our posts.

5. Why We Use Your Data and Our Legal Basis

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

Purpose	Examples	Legal basis
Processing and managing your booking	Confirming your package, dates, pickup point, and payment	Performance of a contract with you
Arranging your trip logistics	Coordinating pickup, transport, and Khasab border formalities	Performance of a contract; legal obligation
Guest safety	Recording allergies, medical needs, or emergency contacts	Vital interests; explicit consent
Customer service	Responding to enquiries, complaints, and WhatsApp messages	Legitimate interest; performance of a contract
Payment processing	Verifying and completing your payment through our gateway	Performance of a contract; legal obligation
Marketing communications	Sending offers, newsletters, or seasonal promotions	Your explicit consent
Website performance	Analysing traffic, fixing errors, improving content	Legitimate interest; consent for non-essential cookies
Legal and regulatory compliance	Maintaining booking records, responding to authorities	Legal obligation
Marketing photography	Using tour photos or videos on our website or social media	Explicit consent, withdrawable at any time

Under Oman’s Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree No. 6/2022), we rely on your explicit consent as our primary legal basis wherever the law requires it, alongside the performance of our contract with you and our legal obligations as a licensed tour operator.

6. Sharing Your Data with Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only where necessary, with the following categories of recipients:

• Oman border and immigration authorities, where required to assist with your visa-on-arrival or border-crossing formalities.
• Payment processors and banks, to securely complete online or in-person payments.
• Transport and pickup partners, such as drivers and vehicle operators handling UAE-to-Khasab transfers.
• Hotels and travel agents, where a booking is coordinated through them, limited to the details needed to deliver your trip.
• IT, hosting, and website service providers, who store and maintain khourshemtours.com and our booking systems on our behalf, under confidentiality obligations.
• Communication platforms, such as WhatsApp Business (operated by Meta) and our email service provider, used to correspond with you.
• Analytics providers, such as Google Analytics or similar tools, to understand website usage in aggregate or pseudonymised form.
• Regulators and authorities, where disclosure is required by Omani law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Khourshem Tours, our guests, or the public.
• Professional advisers, such as our accountants, auditors, or legal counsel, where necessary for our business operations.

Any third party we share data with is required to protect it and use it only for the purpose we specify.

7. International Data Transfers

Because we serve guests from the UAE and around the world, and use service providers based outside Oman (including cloud hosting, email, and communication platforms), your data may be transferred to and processed in other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Where we transfer personal data internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it receives an appropriate level of protection, such as using providers with recognised data protection safeguards or standard contractual clauses, consistent with Oman’s Personal Data Protection Law and applicable international frameworks.

8. Special Handling of Travel Document and Health Data

Passport, visa, and health-related data are treated as sensitive information. We:

• Collect only what is strictly required for border formalities or your safety on a tour
• Limit access to this data to staff directly involved in your booking, transport, or safety
• Do not use this data for marketing purposes
• Retain it only as long as needed for your trip and any legal record-keeping requirement, then securely delete or anonymise it
• Ask for your explicit consent before collecting health or medical information, where practical to do so

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep the website functioning correctly (essential cookies)
• Remember your package selection and preferences
• Measure website traffic and performance (analytics cookies)
• Support social media integrations and embedded content, such as TripAdvisor widgets

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling essential cookies may affect how parts of the website, such as the booking form, function. Where our website uses non-essential cookies, such as analytics or marketing tools, we will request your consent before placing them, typically through a cookie banner or similar consent notice shown on your first visit.

10. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including:

• Booking and payment records: retained for the duration of your trip plus the period required by Omani tax, accounting, and consumer protection laws.
• Travel document data: retained only until your trip is complete and any required post-trip reporting is finished, then deleted or anonymised.
• Marketing data: retained until you withdraw your consent or unsubscribe.
• Website analytics data: retained in aggregate or anonymised form for reasonable analytical periods.
• Complaints, disputes, or safety incident records: retained as long as needed to resolve the matter and meet any legal obligation.

When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

11. How We Protect Your Data

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure, including:

• Restricting access to personal data to staff who need it to perform their role
• Using secure, reputable third-party payment gateways for online transactions
• Storing digital records on protected systems with access controls
• Training staff on handling booking, passport, and payment information responsibly

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we work to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security, and you share information with us at your own risk.

12. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, including Oman’s Personal Data Protection Law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data, where we are not legally required to keep it
• Restrict or object to certain processing, including direct marketing
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent, without affecting processing carried out before withdrawal
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format, where technically feasible
• Lodge a complaint with Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), the authority responsible for enforcing the Personal Data Protection Law, or with your local data protection authority if you are contacting us from another country

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@khourshemtours.com. We may need to verify your identity before actioning a request, and we aim to respond within a reasonable timeframe as required by law.

13. Marketing Communications

We will only send you marketing messages, newsletters, or promotional offers if you have opted in or booked a tour with us and have not opted out. You can unsubscribe at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
• Messaging us on WhatsApp or emailing info@khourshemtours.com to opt out

Opting out of marketing will not affect essential communications related to a booking you have already made, such as confirmation, itinerary, or safety information.

14. Children’s Privacy

Our tours welcome families and children, and we may collect basic booking data (such as name and age) for children traveling with a parent or guardian, solely to arrange the trip safely. Our website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children without a parent or guardian’s involvement. If you believe a child has provided us data without appropriate consent, contact us so we can remove it.

15. Photos, Videos, and Testimonials

Our crew may take photos or videos during cruises, camping trips, or safaris for safety documentation, quality review, or marketing on our website, brochures, or social media. If you do not want to appear in marketing material, let our crew or office know before or during your tour, and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

If you leave a review on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, or another platform, or send us a testimonial, we may quote or reference it on our website or marketing channels, generally using your first name or initials unless you agree otherwise.

16. Third-Party Links and Social Media

Our website links to third-party platforms, including TripAdvisor, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. These platforms have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they collect or use your data. We encourage you to review their policies before interacting with them.

17. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Significant changes will be highlighted on our website or communicated directly where appropriate.

18. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Sultanate of Oman, including the Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree No. 6/2022) and its Executive Regulations, without prejudice to any mandatory data protection rights you may have under the laws of your own country of residence.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

Khourshem Tours P.O. Box 335, PC No. 811, Khasab, Musandam, Sultanate of Oman Email: info@khourshemtours.com Phone / WhatsApp: +968 9206 7996

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries as promptly as possible, and typically within a few business days.