TRYBOOKAFRICA.COM
PRIVACY POLICY
POPIA • PAIA • CUSTOMER • SUPPLIER • WEBSITE & PLATFORM PRIVACY
Version: 1.0 | Effective date: 1 November 2026 | Last updated: 9 September 2026
1. Introduction and Purpose
This Privacy Policy explains how TryBookAfrica collects, uses, stores, shares, protects and otherwise processes personal information when you use TryBookAfrica.com, our websites, applications, booking services, customer support channels and related tourism technology services (collectively, the “Platform”).
TryBookAfrica is an African travel technology and tourism booking platform founded and operated in the Republic of South Africa. The Platform enables travellers to discover, compare and, where available, book accommodation, safaris, tours, activities, restaurants, destinations, transport services and other tourism-related products and experiences offered by independent tourism suppliers.
This Policy is intended to operate alongside our Terms and Conditions, Booking Terms, Supplier Terms, Cookie Policy, Payment Terms, Cancellation and Refund Policy, PAIA Manual where applicable, and other policies published on the Platform.
The attached TryBookAfrica source identifies Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) as a core part of the South African legal framework applicable to the business and identifies legal@trybookafrica.com as the proposed legal contact.
2. Who We Are
For this Privacy Policy, “TryBookAfrica”, “TryBookAfrica.com”, “we”, “us” or “our” means the South African legal entity that owns and/or operates the TryBookAfrica Platform, together with authorised affiliates and service providers where applicable.
Legal entity: TryBookAfrica [Pty] Ltd
Registration number: 2021/652846/07
Registered office: 320 Slate Crescent Stoneridge Centurion South Africa
Privacy / legal contact: legal@trybookafrica.com
Website: TryBookAfrica.com
3. Our Role in the Tourism Marketplace
TryBookAfrica operates as a digital tourism marketplace and booking platform connecting travellers with independent tourism suppliers. Suppliers may include hotels, safari and game lodges, guest houses, B&Bs, resorts, holiday homes, villas, hostels, tour operators, safari operators, activity providers, restaurants, transport providers, local guides and other tourism businesses.
Depending on the service, TryBookAfrica may act as a digital marketplace, booking platform, technology provider, booking facilitator and/or payment facilitator. The precise role may differ by product and is communicated where relevant.
This distinction matters for privacy: information may be processed by TryBookAfrica, by a supplier to fulfil a booking, or by third-party service providers necessary to operate the Platform.
4. What Is Personal Information?
“Personal information” has the meaning given to it under applicable data-protection law and includes information relating to an identifiable, living natural person and, where applicable, an identifiable existing juristic person.
Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
Name, title, date of birth or age where required for a booking or lawful purpose;
Contact details such as email address, telephone number, postal or residential address;
Account credentials and profile information;
Travel preferences, interests, itinerary details and booking history;
Guest, passenger and traveller information supplied for a booking;
Emergency-contact information where you choose or are required to provide it;
Payment-related information and transaction details. Full payment-card details may be handled directly by payment service providers rather than stored by TryBookAfrica, depending on the payment arrangement;
Identity or verification information where required for supplier onboarding, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance or a particular travel service;
Communications with our support team, including complaints and correspondence;
Reviews, ratings, photographs or other content you choose to submit;
Device, browser, IP address, approximate location, log, cookie and usage information;
Supplier/business information where it relates to an identifiable individual, sole proprietor, director, employee or representative; and
Any other information you voluntarily provide or that we are lawfully required to process.
5. Special Personal Information and Children
We do not seek to collect special personal information unless there is a lawful and necessary reason to do so. Certain tourism bookings may require information that could be sensitive in context, for example accessibility requirements, dietary or health-related information relevant to an experience, or identity information required by law or a supplier. Where such information is required, we will process it only on a lawful basis and for a defined purpose.
The Platform is not intended to encourage children to create accounts or make bookings independently. Where a booking involves a child, information about the child should be provided by a parent, guardian or other person legally authorised to do so, and only to the extent necessary for the relevant service. Any processing of children’s information will be handled in accordance with applicable law and appropriate safeguards.
6. How We Collect Personal Information
Directly from you when you create an account, search, enquire, make or manage a booking, contact support, submit a review, subscribe to communications, list a tourism business or otherwise interact with the Platform;
From tourism suppliers and other authorised parties involved in delivering a booking or service;
From payment service providers, fraud-prevention providers and other transaction partners;
Automatically through cookies, pixels, logs, device identifiers and similar technologies when you use the Platform;
From public or authorised sources where permitted by law, including information used to verify tourism businesses; and
From referrals, affiliates, partners or other service providers where lawful and appropriate.
7. Purposes for Which We Process Personal Information
We process personal information only for lawful, specific and defined purposes. These purposes may include:
Creating and administering user and supplier accounts;
Processing searches, enquiries, bookings, reservations, cancellations and refunds;
Communicating booking confirmations, changes, reminders, support responses and service notices;
Sharing necessary traveller information with the relevant tourism supplier so that the supplier can fulfil the booked service;
Processing or facilitating payments, settlements, refunds, chargebacks and transaction reconciliation;
Operating, maintaining, securing and improving the Platform;
Personalising search results, recommendations and travel content where permitted;
Verifying suppliers and maintaining the Verified African Tourism Database initiative;
Preventing fraud, abuse, security incidents and unlawful activity;
Handling complaints, disputes, legal claims and regulatory requests;
Complying with legal, tax, accounting, tourism, payment and other regulatory obligations;
Sending marketing communications where permitted by law and subject to applicable consent or objection requirements;
Producing aggregated or de-identified analytics and business intelligence;
Conducting audits, testing, research and service improvement; and
Any other purpose communicated to you at or before collection, or otherwise permitted by applicable law.
8. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under POPIA, personal information must be processed in accordance with the Act’s conditions for lawful processing. Depending on the circumstances, TryBookAfrica may rely on the need to perform or take steps toward a contract, comply with a legal obligation, pursue a legitimate interest that is not overridden by your rights, protect a legitimate interest, or obtain your consent where consent is required.
Consent will not be treated as the universal basis for every processing activity. Where another lawful basis applies, we may process information without relying on consent, subject to the requirements of applicable law. POPIA establishes conditions for lawful processing and rights for data subjects.
9. Bookings and Sharing Information with Tourism Suppliers
Because TryBookAfrica connects travellers with independent suppliers, we may need to disclose information necessary to fulfil a booking or enquiry. For example, a supplier may need a traveller’s name, contact details, arrival information, guest details or special requirements.
The relevant supplier remains responsible for delivering the underlying tourism service. The source document expressly states that the contractual relationship may be between the traveller and tourism supplier, with TryBookAfrica providing platform, booking and/or payment facilitation depending on the service.
Suppliers may have their own privacy notices and legal obligations. Where a supplier independently determines the purposes and means of its processing, it may act as a separate responsible party under applicable law. Users should review supplier-specific privacy terms where provided.
10. Third-Party Service Providers
We may appoint third-party service providers to support the Platform, including hosting providers, cloud services, payment processors, fraud and security providers, communications providers, analytics providers, customer-support systems, email/SMS providers, identity or verification providers, professional advisers and technology vendors.
Where a service provider processes personal information on our behalf, we will seek to impose appropriate contractual, confidentiality, security and data-protection obligations consistent with applicable law.
11. Payments
Payment information is processed according to the payment method and payment-provider arrangement applicable to the booking. TryBookAfrica may receive transaction information such as payment status, amount, currency, payer details and reference numbers.
Where payment-card processing is performed by a third-party payment service provider, card data may be transmitted directly to that provider rather than being stored by TryBookAfrica. The precise arrangement should be confirmed against the payment architecture used when this Policy is published.
12. Cookies and Similar Technologies
TryBookAfrica may use cookies, pixels, SDKs, log files and similar technologies to operate the Platform, remember preferences, measure performance, improve security, understand usage and, where permitted, support marketing and analytics.
A separate Cookie Policy should explain the categories of cookies used, their purposes, retention periods, third-party cookies and the controls available to users. Where consent is required, the relevant consent mechanism will be provided.
13. Direct Marketing
We may send service communications that are necessary to administer your account or booking. Marketing communications will be handled in accordance with applicable law.
POPIA regulates direct marketing by electronic communication and, subject to its requirements and exceptions, requires consent or permits limited marketing to existing customers for similar products where specified conditions are met. Marketing messages must identify the sender and provide a means to request that communications cease.
You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe mechanism provided or by contacting us.
14. Reviews, Ratings, Photographs and User Content
If you submit a review, rating, photograph, testimonial, question or other content, we may process and display the information necessary to publish and administer that content, subject to our Terms and applicable law.
You should avoid publishing another person’s personal information unless you have a lawful basis and authority to do so.
15. International and Cross-Border Transfers
TryBookAfrica is intended to support tourism across Africa and may use service providers or suppliers located outside South Africa. Personal information may therefore be transferred across borders where lawful and necessary.
Before transferring personal information outside South Africa, TryBookAfrica will assess the applicable legal requirements and implement an appropriate lawful mechanism, contractual safeguard, consent or other permitted basis where required. Cross-border transfers are specifically regulated under POPIA.
The destination countries and safeguards will depend on the suppliers and technology providers actually used by TryBookAfrica.
16. Data Security
We will take appropriate and reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction, unlawful access or processing and other reasonably foreseeable risks.
Access controls and role-based permissions;
Authentication and account-security measures;
Encryption or other protective controls where appropriate;
Security monitoring and logging;
Vendor and operator controls;
Backups and resilience measures; and
Incident-response and security-compromise procedures.
No internet-based system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a security compromise occurs, we will respond in accordance with applicable law, including applicable notification requirements. The Information Regulator notes that responsible parties should maintain security controls and notify data subjects and the Regulator where required by law.
17. Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to provide services, maintain records, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, meet legal and regulatory obligations, prevent fraud and protect our legitimate interests.
Retention periods may differ depending on the type of information, the purpose of processing, booking and accounting requirements, legal limitation periods and regulatory obligations. When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it, subject to lawful retention requirements.
18. Your Rights as a Data Subject
Subject to applicable law and any lawful limitations, you may have rights to:
Know whether TryBookAfrica holds your personal information and request access to it;
Request correction, updating or deletion of inaccurate or unlawfully held information;
Object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing already carried out;
Request restriction or other lawful relief where applicable;
Request information about certain processing activities;
Complain to the Information Regulator; and
Exercise any other rights provided by POPIA or applicable data-protection law.
The Information Regulator confirms that data subjects have rights including access, correction and objection to processing, subject to applicable law.
19. How to Exercise Your Privacy Rights
Requests should be submitted in writing to legal@trybookafrica.com, or through the official support or privacy contact channel published on TryBookAfrica.com.
We may need to verify the identity and authority of the requester before releasing or changing personal information. We will respond within the periods and in the manner required by applicable law. If a request cannot lawfully be fulfilled, we will explain the applicable limitation where permitted.
20. Information Officer and PAIA
TryBookAfrica will maintain an Information Officer and, where required, Deputy Information Officer arrangements and registrations in accordance with applicable law. The Information Regulator states that Information Officers of private and public bodies are required to be registered in accordance with section 55 of POPIA.
Where applicable, requests for access to records under PAIA should be made using the process and forms described in TryBookAfrica’s PAIA Manual. The Information Regulator describes a PAIA Manual as a guide to information held by a body and the procedure for requesting access.
Information Officer contact: [INSERT CONFIRMED INFORMATION OFFICER NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS]
21. Automated Processing and Personalisation
TryBookAfrica may use automated tools to assist with search, recommendations, fraud prevention, customer support, analytics or other Platform functions.
Where a decision is based solely on automated processing and falls within POPIA’s restrictions on decisions with legal or substantial effects, we will apply the safeguards required by law. POPIA regulates certain forms of automated decision-making and provides protections for data subjects.
22. Data Breaches and Security Compromises
If TryBookAfrica experiences a security compromise involving personal information, we will assess and respond promptly, take reasonable steps to contain and investigate the incident, mitigate harm and comply with applicable notification, regulatory and contractual requirements.
Where legally required, affected data subjects and the Information Regulator will be notified in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
23. Third-Party Websites and Links
The Platform may contain links to tourism suppliers, payment providers, destination resources, social-media services or other third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties. You should review the privacy notices of those services before providing personal information.
24. Supplier and Business Data
Tourism suppliers may provide information about their businesses, employees, representatives, owners and contacts. TryBookAfrica may process this information for supplier onboarding, verification, listing management, communications, booking administration, settlement, fraud prevention, compliance and support.
Where supplier information includes personal information, it will be handled in accordance with applicable law and the contractual arrangements between TryBookAfrica and the supplier.
25. Accuracy of Personal Information
We seek to maintain accurate and reasonably up-to-date personal information. You should notify us if your account, contact or booking information changes. Suppliers are responsible for keeping their business listing and service information accurate and current, consistent with the Platform’s supplier requirements.
26. Privacy of Communications
Communications with TryBookAfrica may be recorded or retained where necessary for customer support, quality assurance, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, training, security, compliance or other lawful purposes. Where required, we will provide appropriate notice.
27. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may amend this Privacy Policy when our Platform, business model, technology, legal obligations or data-processing practices change. The current version will be published on the Platform with its effective date.
Where required by law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before material changes take effect.
28. Complaints
If you have a privacy complaint, contact us first at legal@trybookafrica.com. We will investigate and seek to resolve the matter fairly and within applicable legal requirements.
You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator where you believe your rights under POPIA have been infringed. The Information Regulator is the statutory authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing POPIA compliance.
Information Regulator contact details published by the Regulator include enquiries@inforegulator.org.za and 010 023 5200.
29. Governing Law
Unless otherwise required by applicable law, this Privacy Policy and the processing relationship between TryBookAfrica and users in relation to the Platform are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
Nothing in this Policy is intended to exclude or restrict any right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.
30. Contact Details
TryBookAfrica [Pty] Ltd
Registration No.: 2021/652846/07
Legal / Privacy email: legal@trybookafrica.com
Website: TryBookAfrica.com
Registered office: 320 Slate Crescent Stoneridge Centurion South Africa
Information Officer: Dr Chisava Juma, chisava.juma@trybookafrica.com
Customer Support: Use the official TryBookAfrica Support Centre or contact details published on the Platform. The source document directs customers to the official Support Centre for privacy, booking, payment, complaints and legal matters.