Privacy Policy
We Value Your Privacy. This notice provides you with essential information about how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your data, as well as your rights regarding your personal information.
Who We Are
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors, fuels economic progress and helps achieve Abu Dhabi’s wider global ambitions. By working in partnership with the organizations that define the emirate’s position as a leading international destination, DCT Abu Dhabi strives to unite the ecosystem around a shared vision of the emirate’s potential, coordinate effort and investment, deliver innovative solutions, and use the best tools, policies, and systems to support the culture, creative and tourism industries.
DCT Abu Dhabi’s vision is defined by the emirate’s people, heritage and landscape. We work to enhance Abu Dhabi’s status as a place of authenticity, innovation, and unparalleled experiences, represented by its living traditions of hospitality, pioneering initiatives, and creative thought. DCT Abu Dhabi is committed to respect privacy and secure Personal Information with compliance to all applicable data protection and privacy laws and regulations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Federal Laws of the United Arab Emirates.
This Privacy notice is intended to be read in conjunction with our General Terms and Conditions, as well as any other relevant documents such as our Cookie Policy, product/service Terms and conditions.
Definitions
This Privacy Notice uses the following key terms:
Personal Data: Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable physical person, as defined in accordance with the applicable Data Protection Laws and Regulations
Cookies: A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded onto your computer or smartphone when you visit the website. It enables the website to identify your device and store certain information about your preferences or prior actions. Cookies are designed to enhance the website's user experience
Supervisory Authority: The UAE Data Office, the independent authority overseeing the application of Federal Decree Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection (PDPL).
Personal data
What personal data do we collect
We collect a range of personal data directly from you and from public and commercial third parties to the extent permitted by law. Personal data we collect may include but is not limited to
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email Address
- Nationality
- Country of Residence
- Gender,
- Job position,
- Emirates ID & Passport (for international users only),
- Email address(es),
- Phone/mobile number(s),
- Photos
- Cookie Data – Log Information, IP Address, device information, location information
- Any other information that you decide to voluntarily share
How we use personal data
We will use your personal data solely for the purposes for which it was originally collected and in compliance with applicable laws. The personal information you provide to us or that we collect may be utilized for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to –
| # | Purpose | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Account creation. | Utilizing personal data for creating and managing user accounts. |
| 2 | Fulfilling requests for services. | Processing personal information to fulfill service requests such as bookings, orders, deliveries, activities, product verifications, or services. |
| 3 | Verifying User's Identity | We may process your personal data to verify your identity before responding to complaints, inquiries, or data privacy rights requests. |
| 4 | Adding to mailing lists. | With consent, adding the Customer or Visitor to a mailing list for event information, service updates, product details, participation invitations, market surveys, satisfaction surveys, or marketing information. Opt-out options are available. |
| 5 | Providing a personalized user experience. | Tailoring DCT Abu Dhabi services and products to remember the Customer or Visitor's preferences for future website visits. |
| 6 | Offering content based on personal interests. | Displaying subjects related to the Customer or Visitor's personal interests based on browsing history. |
| 7 | Sending important notices. | Sending critical notices, including prompts for updates/upgrades to the operating system or web application. |
| 8 | Qualifying and managing suppliers and business partners. | Managing and communicating with suppliers and business partners. |
| 9 | Improving products and services. | Enhancing DCT Abu Dhabi products and services through internal audits, data analysis, and research. |
| 10 | Analyzing business operations. | Analyzing the efficiency of DCT Abu Dhabi’s business operations and evaluating market share. |
| 11 | Troubleshooting with error reports. | Addressing issues by analyzing error reports from Customers or Visitors. |
| 12 | Synchronizing and storing user data. | Managing data synchronization, sharing, and storage for user-uploaded or downloaded information. |
| 13 | Ensuring security. | Safeguarding DCT Abu Dhabi products, services, and Customer’s or Visitor’s data through loss prevention and anti-fraud programs. |
| 14 | Compliance with laws and regulations. | Adhering to the laws and regulations of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Federal laws of the United Arab Emirates, and other applicable legal requirements, industry standards, and DCT Abu Dhabi policies. |
Lawful Basis for processing your personal data:
Where we use your personal data we must have one of the following lawful bases for doing so:
- To fulfil a contract
- To comply with DCT’s legal obligation
- Where someone’s life is in danger, known as vital interest
- When it is required to deliver our core business activities, known as legitimate interest
- When it is required for us to carry out a task in the public interest
- When you consent to us doing so
Sharing information with third parties
We will never sell your personal data to any third parties, nor share it with any third parties or external organizations, other than our trusted partners and service providers.
In certain circumstances such as to provide certain services to you, we may disclose your personal data to law enforcement authorities and/or other government agencies as required by applicable law.
Transfer of personal data outside the UAE
As a government entity, DCT Abu Dhabi ensures that all personal data is stored and processed within the United Arab Emirates, in line with applicable data residency and localization requirements.
Personal data will not be transferred outside the UAE, except where required by law, an applicable international agreement, or an explicit exemption granted by the competent authority.
How long we keep your data for?
We only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The table below provides examples of typical retention periods for personal data processed by DCT Abu Dhabi. Specific periods may vary depending on the nature of the service and legal requirements.
| Type of Data | Purpose | Retention Period (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Account information | To maintain your user account | Until account is deleted or deactivated |
| Newsletter subscription | To send you communications you requested | Until you unsubscribe |
| Event registration data | To manage your participation in events | Deleted within 12 months after the event |
| Cookies and online identifiers | To improve your website experience | Duration of your session, or as per cookie type (see Cookie Policy) |
| Customer inquiries (contact forms) | To respond to your request | Up to 6 months after resolution |
We only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The table below provides examples of typical retention periods for personal data processed by DCT Abu Dhabi. Specific periods may vary depending on the nature of the service and legal requirements.
Third Party Links
Our website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave DCT’s website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.
These links are provided solely for convenience, and DCT Abu Dhabi does not share personal data or enable tracking through these external sites.
Your Data Privacy Rights
As provided by the applicable Data Protection regulations, you have the following rights in relation to the processing of your personal data:
- The right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data
- The right to access personal data and supplementary information
- The right to have inaccurate personal data rectified, or completed if it is incomplete
- The right to withdraw consent at any time, without adverse consequences
- The right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
- The right to restrict or limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances
- The right to data portability, allowing you to obtain and reuse your personal data across different services
- The right to object to the processing of your personal data, including profiling and automated decision-making
- The right to lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office (supervisory authority) if you believe your rights have not been respected
Please note that these rights are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse certain requests where legal exceptions apply.
Data Breach Notification
In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to affect your rights and freedoms, DCT Abu Dhabi will notify you in accordance with applicable law. We are committed to handling such incidents with transparency and in line with regulatory requirements.
Protection of your Personal data
DCT Abu Dhabi is committed to protecting your personal data and will take all reasonable steps to protect your data that we hold from misuse, loss, or unauthorized access, including by means of firewalls, password access and secure servers. We restrict access to your personal data only to our employees, contractors, partners and agents on a need-to-know basis and are subject to stricter contractual confidentiality obligations.
If you suspect any misuse or loss of, or unauthorized access to, your personal data, please let us know immediately with Contact Us page or via Email [email protected]
Children’s Data
We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. In line with international best practices, including the GDPR, DCT Abu Dhabi considers any individual under the age of 18 to be a child. Children must not create a DCT Abu Dhabi account or use our products or services without the consent of a parent or guardian.
Where we collect the personal data of a child with verifiable parental or guardian consent, we will only use or disclose such data as permitted by law and for legitimate purposes. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without the required consent, we will take immediate steps to securely delete the data.
Note: While the UAE PDPL defines children as under 13, DCT applies the stricter international threshold of 18 to ensure alignment with global data protection practices.
Marketing Communications
Where you have provided your consent or we have a legitimate interest, we (and partners) may contact you for direct marketing purposes via post, telephone, email, SMS/MMS, push notifications, and social media channels.
This marketing may relate to:
- additional products and services we (or permitted third parties) feel may interest you;
- information about other goods and services we offer that are similar to those that you have already used or enquired about; and
- upcoming events, competitions, schemes, initiatives, promotions and new products/services or other opportunities as well as those of selected third parties.
If you no longer wish to receive marketing communications from us, you may unsubscribe by emailing us at [email protected]
Cookies and Other Relevant Technologies
Our websites use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and personalize content. Cookies fall into the following categories:
| Category | Purpose | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essential cookies | Required for the basic functioning of our website (e.g. login, forms) | Session or up to 1 year |
| Functional cookies | Enable enhanced features and personalization (e.g. language settings) | Session or up to 1 year |
| Analytics cookies | Help us understand how visitors use our website | Session or up to 2 years |
| Marketing cookies | Used to deliver relevant advertising and measure campaign effectiveness | Session or up to 2 years |
Third-Party Pixels and Advertising Technologies We use third-party tracking pixels (also known as web beacons) on our Website to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns, analyze usage, and deliver more relevant content and advertisements to you. The specific third-party providers whose pixels are implemented on this Website include:
- Facebook / Meta
- Snapchat
- Sojern
- TikTok
- X (formerly Twitter)
- VK
- Criteo
- Douyin
You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or, where available, through our cookie banner.
For a detailed description of each cookie, please refer to our Cookie policy
Data Privacy Complaints and Inquiries
At DCT Abu Dhabi, we are fully committed to protecting your personal data and addressing any privacy-related concerns with the utmost attention and care.
If you wish to exercise your data privacy rights, including the right to access, correct, delete, or object to the processing of your personal data, you may do so by submitting a formal request via our official Privacy Request Form.
To submit your request:
- Go to the Contact Us page on our website.
- Fill in your personal details accurately.
- Under the “Case Type” or “Subject” field, select “Data Privacy”.
Our team will acknowledge your request and respond within three (3) working days, in line with our internal compliance procedures.
We reserve the right to decline or delay a request if:
We are unable to verify your identity,
The request is manifestly unfounded or excessive,
Or if the request falls outside the scope of applicable data protection laws.
If you need assistance, you can also contact us at [email protected]
Changes to this Privacy Notice
DCT Abu Dhabi may change and/or update this privacy notice from time to time to ensure compliance with the ever-evolving laws/standards, business needs, or to satisfy the needs of our visitors and members. DCT Abu Dhabi will notify Customers and Visitors of material changes to this Policy by posting a notice on its Websites and/or sending a direct notification through email.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Notice or the way DCT Abu Dhabi processes your personal data, you can contact us at: [email protected]
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your concern, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office, the supervisory authority responsible for data protection in the United Arab Emirates, via Contact us | The Official Portal of the UAE Government.