Privacy Policy & Cookies

Last Updated: October 2026

Welcome to This is Madeira Island (accessible at thisismadeiraisland.com). Your privacy and trust are paramount to us. This Privacy and Cookies Policy explains how we collect, use, process, and protect your personal information, as well as your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679 – GDPR) and applicable European privacy laws.

1. Data Controller (Who We Are)

This website is operated by Madeira Services, acting as the Data Controller for the personal data collected through this platform.

Contact details for privacy matters:

• Website: https://thisismadeiraisland.com
• E-mail: support@thisismadeiraisland.com
• Contact Form: https://thisismadeiraisland.com/contact/

2. Our Role as an Intermediary Platform

This is Madeira Island operates as an independent tourism discovery, promotional, and booking intermediation platform. We connect visitors and travelers with verified, reputable local partners operating on Madeira Island, including licensed car rental operators, boat and excursion providers, tour guides, and accommodation hosts.

When you request a quote, submit an inquiry, or initiate a booking (such as a car rental or guided tour), we process your booking details and transmit the necessary information to the designated local partner in Madeira responsible for fulfilling the service. The local operator acts as an independent controller for the execution of the rental agreement or excursion contract (including on-site identity and driver’s license verification).

3. What Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Inquiry & Booking Data: Full name, email address, phone number (including WhatsApp contact, if provided), preferred travel dates, pickup/drop-off locations, selected vehicle category or tour, flight numbers, and specific booking preferences.
• Communications: Inquiries submitted via our contact forms, direct email, or customer support channels.
• Newsletter Subscription: Email address (collected only with your explicit consent).
• Technical & Usage Data: IP address, browser type and version, device identifier, time zone, referral URLs, pages viewed, and browsing patterns collected via cookies and tracking technologies (subject to your consent preferences).

Note: We do not collect or store full credit card numbers or sensitive driver’s license documents directly through our public forms. Payment processing and on-site document verification are handled securely through certified payment gateways or directly by the local licensed operator upon service delivery.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Art. 6)

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful legal basis:

1. Performance of Pre-contractual Measures and Bookings (Art. 6(1)(b)): To handle your rental or activity requests, generate quotes, confirm bookings, communicate updates, and transmit required details to local service providers.
2. Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): To maintain platform security, prevent fraudulent bookings, improve website performance, and provide effective customer support.
3. Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): For non-essential cookies (analytics and advertising) and for sending promotional emails or newsletters (which you can withdraw at any time).
4. Legal Compliance (Art. 6(1)(c)): To fulfill accounting and commercial reporting obligations within the European Union.

5. Sharing Data with Third Parties

We never sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We share data strictly on a need-to-know basis with:

• Local Service Partners in Madeira: Local car rental agencies and licensed tour providers, strictly to confirm, manage, and execute your requested reservations.
• Trusted Service Providers (Data Processors): Secure cloud hosting providers, IT infrastructure, customer communication platforms, and email delivery services operating under GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreements.
• Public Authorities: Only when legally required by European law, court order, or official governmental regulation.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Booking inquiries and correspondence: Retained for the duration of the booking cycle and customer support period, and thereafter up to statutory limitation periods for legal claims.
• Billing and operational records: Retained for the statutory retention periods required by applicable European and commercial regulations.
• Marketing & Newsletters: Stored until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Request deletion of your data when it is no longer required for the purposes collected.
• Right to Restriction: Request limits on how we process your information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to the processing of your data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke any consent previously granted at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@thisismadeiraisland.com. We respond to all legitimate requests within one calendar month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with an EU data protection supervisory authority.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance browsing performance, remember user preferences, and analyze website traffic.

Cookie Categories:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies (Always Active): Essential for website operation, security, bot mitigation, load balancing, and remembering your cookie consent choice.
• Functional Cookies: Enable enhanced features such as embedded multimedia (e.g., YouTube videos) and interface preference storage.
• Analytics Cookies (e.g., Google Analytics 4): Help us measure aggregated traffic patterns and understand user journeys so we can optimize website experience. Activated only with your consent.
• Marketing & Advertising Cookies (e.g., Google Ads): Used to measure ad campaign performance and deliver relevant advertisements across partner networks. Activated only with your consent.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences:

You have full control over your cookie settings. You can accept, decline, or customize your preferences at any time using the Cookie Preferences banner on our website or by adjusting your browser settings to block or delete cookies.

9. External Links

Our platform may contain links to external third-party websites or services (such as airline booking engines, weather services, or trail status maps). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external sites, and we recommend reading their respective policies.

10. Updates to this Policy

We may update this Privacy and Cookies Policy periodically to reflect changes in our operational procedures or applicable European regulations. The latest version will always be published on this page with the updated revision date.