At HanseMerkur, we take the protection and security of your data very seriously. Here you can find information about your rights and the measures we have implemented to safeguard your data: The Data Controller responsible under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR), as well as other national data protection laws of the member states and other data protection provisions, is:

E-Mail: datenschutz@hansemerkur.de

HanseMerkur Group
Siegfried-Wedells-Platz 1
20354 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 4119 19 19
Fax: +49 40 4119 30 40
E-Mail: reiseinfo@hansemerkur.de

Thank you for visiting our website. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we want you to feel secure. We collect, process, and use your personal data in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This privacy statement applies solely to this website and does not extend to any websites linked or referred to from this site.

Provision of the Website and Creation of Log Files
Each time you visit our website, our system automatically collects data and information from your computer. The following data is collected:

• Information about the browser type and version used
• User’s operating system
• Internet service provider of the user
• IP address of the user
• Date and time of access
• Websites from which the user accessed our website
• Websites accessed by the user’s system via our website

The log files contain IP addresses or other data that may be traceable back to the user. This could occur, for example, if the link to the website from which the user accessed our site, or the link used to navigate to another website, contains personal data. The data is stored in our system’s log files separately from other personal data of the user. HanseMerkur cannot use this data to trace it back to you without involving your provider.

The legal basis for the temporary storage of data and log files is Article 6 (1) (f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Purpose of Data Processing
The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary to display the website on the user’s computer. To achieve this, it is essential to store the user’s IP address for the duration of the session.

The storage in log files is conducted to ensure the functionality of the website. Additionally, the data is used to optimise the website and to guarantee the security of our information technology systems. The data will not be evaluated for marketing purposes in this context.

The data will be deleted when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. If the data was collected to facilitate the provision of the website, it will be deleted at the end of the respective session.

Data may be retained for other purposes, in which case the IP addresses of users will be deleted or anonymised to prevent tracing back to the individual client.

Collecting data for the purpose of providing the website and storing data in log files is essential for the website’s operation. Users, therefore, do not have the option to object in this case.

Use of Cookies
When you visit certain websites, cookies may be stored on your computer. Cookies are small text files used by website operators to store relevant data, enhancing the browsing experience. Cookies cannot be read by a website other than the one that set them. HanseMerkur does not store any of your personal data in cookies. Every time you visit the site, a new cookie is set. If an existing cookie is present, the information is updated, which is equivalent to deleting and resetting a new cookie.

The purpose of using technically necessary cookies is to facilitate the use of the website. Without cookies, we would not be able to offer certain functions and features. Cookies also help to recognise your browser upon visiting a different website.

Analytical cookies are used to improve the quality of our website and its content. These cookies inform us how the website is being used and allow us to continually enhance the content we provide.

Advertising cookies are employed to deliver personalised advertisements to you.

When users visit our website, they will see a banner informing them about the use of cookies for analytical purposes, which includes a link to this privacy policy. There is also guidance on how to prevent cookies from being stored in the browser settings. The legal basis for processing personal data using cookies is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

How Can You Manage Cookies?
As an internet user, you can choose whether to accept cookies or reject them altogether. However, if you disable cookies, we cannot guarantee the proper display of the website or the availability of all functions and features.

Cookies are stored on the user’s computer and transmitted to our site, giving you full control over the use of cookies. By changing the settings in your internet browser, you can disable or restrict the transmission of cookies. Cookies already stored can be deleted at any time, including automatically.

What Types of Cookies Do We Use?
We use four types of cookies: essential cookies, functionality cookies, performance cookies, and advertising cookies.

• Essential Cookies (Session Cookies): These facilitate general use of our website. We record certain actions performed by users. These cookies are necessary for functional navigation on the website and for using specific features, making the user experience more convenient.
• Functionality Cookies (Session Cookies): These allow us to tailor our website to the personal preferences of users by recording inputs and choices made, such as name, location, or language settings. These preferences are valid only for our website and cannot be used by other sites.
• Performance Cookies: Performance cookies (persistent cookies) help us measure the traffic and functionality of our website. The information provided by these cookies enables us to understand which parts of our website users visit most frequently and whether any error messages appear on these pages. This allows us to improve the user experience for our visitors.
• Advertising Cookies: We use advertising cookies (persistent cookies) to deliver tailored advertisements to users. These cookies also help us track how often a user sees specific ads.

Information about Session Cookies and Persistent Cookies
Session cookies store information used during the current browsing session. These cookies are automatically deleted when you close the browser. Persistent cookies, on the other hand, retain information between subsequent visits to the website, allowing us to identify you as a returning user.

Basic Information about Cookies
You can prevent the setting of cookies – and thereby stop your browser from storing and collecting data – by disabling cookie storage in your browser settings.

Instructions for Popular Browsers:

• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Opera