Data protection and cookie policy

Important legal information

Please read the following conditions carefully before continuing. Persons who log on to the visitvalais.ch website of Valais/Wallis Promotion signify their agreement to the following conditions. 

Legal information

• 1. Organisation responsible

• 2. Copyright and trademark rights

• 3. No guarantee

• 4. Limitation of liability

• 5. Links to other websites

• 6. Netiquette

• 7. General

Data privacy statement and cookie policy

• 1. General

• 2. Scope and purpose of the collection, processing and use of personal data

• 3. Processing your data for analysis and advertising purposes

• 4. Transfer of data to third parties - Transfer of personal data abroad

• 5. Data security

• 6. Cookies, web analysis tools, tracking tools and social media plugins

• 7. Analysis of newsletter use

• 8. Right to information, corrections, deletion and restriction of processing; right to data portability

• 9. Right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority

• 10. Data retention

• 11. Changes to this Data Privacy Statement

• 12. Appendices

1. Organisations responsible for processing

Valais/Wallis Promotion

Avenue de Tourbillon 11 PO Box 607 CH-1951 Sion 

Tel. +41 27 327 36 00

dataprotection@valais.ch

Matterhorn Region AG

Avenue de Tourbillon 11 Case postale 607  CH-1951 Sion 

Tél. +41 27 327 36 36

dataprotection@matterhornregion.ch

2. Copyright and trademark rights

The entire content of the website visitvalais.ch is protected by copyright. All rights are owned by Valais/Wallis Promotion or third parties. The items on the website visitvalais.ch are freely accessible for browsing purposes only. Reproduction of the material or parts thereof in any form, written or electronic, is permitted only with express mention of Valais/Wallis Promotion. Reproduction, transfer, modification, linking or use of the website visitvalais.ch for public or commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission from Valais/Wallis Promotion.

The various names and logos that appear on the website visitvalais.ch are generally registered and protected trademarks. No part of the website visitvalais.ch is devised in such a way as to grant a licence or right to use a picture, registered trademark or logo. Downloading or copying the website visitvalais.ch or parts thereof confers no rights whatsoever with respect to software or items on the website visitvalais.ch. Valais/Wallis Promotion reserves all rights regarding all items on the website visitvalais.ch with the exception of rights belonging to third parties.

3. No guarantee

Although Valais/Wallis Promotion has taken all care to ensure the reliability of information contained on the website visitvalais.ch at the time of publication, neither Valais/Wallis Promotion nor its contracting partners make any explicit or implicit assurance or guarantee (also with respect to third parties) regarding the accuracy, reliability or completeness of information on visitvalais.ch. Opinions and other information on the website visitvalais.ch may be changed at any time without notice.

Valais/Wallis Promotion accepts no responsibility and gives no guarantee that the functions on the website visitvalais.ch will not be interrupted or that the website visitvalais.ch or its server will be free from viruses or other harmful contents.

4. Limitation of liability

Valais/Wallis Promotion is liable only for damage caused by intent or through gross negligence. Valais/Wallis Promotion excludes any liability for damage caused by an auxiliary person. Valais/Wallis Promotion shall not be liable for lost profits, loss of data or other direct, indirect or consequential damage that may arise following access to items on the website visitvalais.ch, through use of the website, as a result of the impossibility to access or use it, through links with other websites or as a consequence of technical disruptions.

5. Links to other websites

The website visitvalais.ch contains links to websites operated by third parties, which may be of interest to you. When you activate such links you may in some cases leave the website visitvalais.ch, alternatively elements of third-party websites may be displayed within the website visitvalais.ch. Valais/Wallis Promotion has not carried out any kind of checks on third-party websites linked to the website visitvalais.ch and is not responsible or liable in any way for the content or functioning of these third-party websites. This applies regardless of whether you have left the website visitvalais.ch by activating a link or whether the material from the third-party website displays within visitvalais.ch – including in the latter case if the identity of the information provider on an external website is not readily apparent. Following such links or visiting third-party websites is at the sole risk and peril of the user.

6. Netiquette

We do not wish to see any statements or discussions on our website that may be offensive, illegal or punishable. If users, our organisation or third parties are defamed, we reserve the right to delete these items without comment or notification, as they do not comply with our netiquette.

7. General

This page was last amended on 15.10.2020. If you have any questions or comments about our legal information or about data privacy, please contact us at dataprotection@valais.ch.

Data privacy statement

The operator of the website visitvalais.ch is Valais/Wallis Promotion (Avenue de Tourbillon 11, 1951 Sion, Switzerland), a public body established by law. As the operator of the website, Valais/Wallis Promotion is responsible for the collection, processing and use of your personal data, and for ensuring that the processing of such data complies with Swiss law. Any person concerned who has questions or suggestions regarding data privacy can contact our data privacy officer direct at any time, using the address dataprotection@valais.ch.

Your trust is important to us, which is why we take the issue of data privacy seriously and ensure the appropriate level of security. Of course we abide by the statutory requirements of the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), the Ordinance to the Federal Act on Data Protection, the Telecommunications Act (TCA) and, where applicable, other data protection regulations, in particular the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Please take note of the following information to find out what personal data we collect from you and what we use it for.

1. General

When you use our website or communicate with us in any other way, personal data about you is collected. This can be the result of you entering data yourself – e.g. your e-mail address. However, our system also collects data from you automatically, such as your visit to our website. This takes place regardless of the device or software that you use to access our website.

Any data input by you on our website is voluntary, and you will not suffer any disadvantages by not providing data. However, without certain data we are unable to provide services or conclude contracts. We will inform you of such mandatory data requirements as the case arises.

All processing of personal data must comply with the law. If you have not already consented to the data processing (as is the case, for example, when you provide us with your data in a form or by e-mail), the processing of your personal data is generally justified for one or more of the following reasons: (i) performance of a contract with you or the processing of your request with a view to concluding a contract (art. 13 para. 2 let. a FADP; art. 6 para. 1 let. b GDPR), (ii) compliance with a legal obligation (art. 13 para. 1 FADP; art. 6 para. 1 let. c GDPR), or (iii) for the purposes of another legitimate interest (art. 13 para. 1 and 2 FADP; art. 6 para. 1 let. f GDPR).

2. Scope and purpose of the collection, processing and use of personal data

2.1. When you visit visitvalais.ch, VWPnet.ch, valaisfilmcommission.ch

When you visit our websites, our servers store details of every access for a limited time in a log file. The following data is collected, without any specific action on your part, and stored by us until it is deleted automatically after 12 months at the latest:

• the IP address of the computer used to make access • the date and time of access • the name and URL of files called up • the website from which access was made • the operating system of your computer and the browser you used • the country from which you made access and the language settings on your browser • the name of your Internet access provider

The data is collected and processed in order to enable use of our website (establishing a connection), to ensure long-term system security and stability, to allow optimisation of our internet services and also for internal statistical purposes. This is our legitimate interest in data processing as specified in art. 13 para. 1 FADP and art. 6 para. 1 let. f GDPR. In particular the IP address is used to record the country in which the website visitor is located and to set the website language accordingly. The IP address is also analysed in the event of attacks on the network infrastructure of visitvalais.ch as well as for statistical purposes.

When you visit our website, we also use so-called pixels and cookies to display personalised advertising and to enable use of web analysis services. You can find further details in Section 7 and in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

2.2. when you register for our newsletter

You have the possibility to subscribe to our newsletter through our website. This requires registration. As part of the registration process, you must supply your e-mail, your name and your first name. This information is compulsory for data processing (mailing the newsletter).

You may also supply further information (postal address, interests), but this is not compulsory. We process this data exclusively to personalise the information and offers that we send to you and to align them better with your interests.

By registering, you give us permission to process the information supplied in order to send the newsletter regularly to the address you provided, for statistical analysis of user behaviour, and to optimise the newsletter, as described in Section 8. This consent constitutes our legal basis for processing your e-mail address and other information as specified in art. 13 para. 1 FADP and Art. 6 para. 1 let. a GDPR.

You thereby also authorise us to commission third parties to carry out technical processing to manage our newsletter system, and authorise us to pass on your data for this purpose (see Section 4 below).

At the end of every newsletter is a link that allows you to unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. As you unsubscribe, you have the option of letting us know your reason. Once you have unsubscribed, your personal data is deleted. Further processing shall take place only in anonymised form to help us optimise our newsletter.

We expressly draw your attention to the data analyses in connection with distribution of the newsletter (see Section 8 below).

2.3. Ordering or booking from our eShop or from third parties

Our website offers several ways of making bookings and requesting information material or other services, either from our eShop or from an external service provider.

a) Ordering or booking from an external service provider: you will automatically be redirected to an external site, such as the booking platform of the selected service provider (e.g. a hotel website), which is no longer under our responsibility: the conditions of the service provider will then apply (see the privacy policy of the third-party site).

b) Ordering or booking through our eShop: on our website, we operate an eShop offering various options for making bookings and requesting information material or other services. While most of these services are provided by third parties, some are also provided by us. Within this context and depending on the service, different data is collected. This may for example include the following data:

• Title and/or company • First name and surname • Address (street, house number, postal code, town, country) • Further contact details (e-mail address, telephone number) • Credit card details and other payment information, where applicable- Travel dates and destinations, information on accommodation, means of transport and special wishes

- Information about other participants in the trip, providing you guarantee that you have obtained their consent to disclose their data for processing in accordance with this data protection declaration.

We will indicate which requested details are compulsory; failure to provide this information may make booking impossible. Supplying other information is optional and has no effect on ability to use our website.

The data you supply is usually collected direct by the relevant service provider, or in the case of certain offers, forwarded to them by us. In such cases, the further processing of this data is subject to the data privacy regulations of the relevant service provider.

By submitting your details, you consent to the data being processed to enable provision of the requested service (e.g. sending printed information) and, where applicable, conclusion and performance of a contract with you by us or the third-party service provider. Furthermore, the processing of the above-mentioned data is based on the legal basis for the performance of a contract as specified in art. 13 para. 2 let. a FADP and art. 6 para. 1 let. b GDPR.

2.5 Photo library

As a professional user, you have the option of downloading images from our website for promotional purposes. To do this, however, you must register. During the registration procedure, you must provide your surname, first name, e-mail address, telephone number as well as the name and postal address of your company. Each time the service is used, a log of the images downloaded is created in order to protect copyright. This information is mandatory for data processing (account creation and access to images).

By submitting your data, you agree to its processing for the purpose of providing the requested service (downloading images from the photo library). The aforementioned data is processed on the legal basis of the performance of a contract within the meaning of art. 13 para. 2 lit. a LPD or art. 6 para. 1 lit. b RGPD.

Please note that under the terms of the agreement signed with the authors, this data will be retained for as long as the copyright subsists.

2.6 Entry in the Valais Film Commission's "services and providers" directory

On the website, audiovisual production professionals can apply to be included in the Valais Film Commission's "services and providers" directory. To do so, they must provide their surname, first name, e-mail address, company name and address, capacity (type of activity), etc.

By transmitting your data, they agree to their processing with a view to providing the service requested (publication of company details and contact data on the valaisfilmcommission.ch website). The above-mentioned data is processed on the legal basis of the performance of a contract within the meaning of art. 13 al. 2 lit. a LPD or art. 6 al. 1 lit. b RGPD.

3. Processing your data for analysis and advertising purposes

In order to provide you with personalised services and information on our website (on-site targeting), we use and analyse the data that we collect about you when you visit the website. The corresponding data processing may involve the use of so-called cookies (see Section 7.2 below). The analysis of your user behaviour can lead to the creation of a so-called user profile.

We also use retargeting tools such as Google Ads on the website. This involves the analysis of your user behaviour on our website in order subsequently to be able to offer you individually tailored advertising on partner websites as well. Your user behaviour is recorded pseudonymously. Most retargeting tools work with cookies.

To enable personalised marketing on social media as well, we integrate into the website so-called remarketing pixels from social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

We base the creation of pseudonymised user profiles and the use of other previously described data processing procedures for marketing and analysis purposes on a legitimate interest as specified in art. 13 para. 1 FADP and art. 6 para. 1 let. f GDPR. The legitimate interest consists in direct marketing and analysis of use of our website.

You can find detailed information on the technological tools used and the data processing that takes place as a result in Section 7 and in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

4. Transfer of data to third parties - Transfer of personal data abroad

We will only pass on your personal data to third parties if you have expressly authorised us to do so, if there is a legal obligation to do so or if this is necessary for the assertion of our rights, in particular to enforce claims arising from the relationship between you and Valais/Wallis Promotion.

In addition, we may pass on your data to third parties, where necessary, for the performance of the agreed services and under the conditions set out in paragraph 2, as well as for processing for analysis and advertising purposes, as set out in chapter 3 of this document.

Where this transfer involves the transfer of data abroad, the third parties concerned undertake to provide appropriate data protection and we contractually undertake to ensure that the protection of your personal data corresponds at all times to that in Switzerland or the EU.

5. Data security

We take appropriate security measures, both technical and organisational, to protect any of your personal data that we have stored from manipulation, partial or complete loss, and unauthorised access by third parties. Our security measures are constantly being improved in line with technological developments.

We also take data security within our organisation very seriously. We oblige our staff and the service providers that we have contracted to maintain confidentiality and to comply with our data protection regulations.

You can also contribute a great deal to keeping your data secure yourself by taking a few simple precautions. Among other things, you should always keep your payment details confidential and close the browser window when you have finished communicating with us, especially if you share a computer with others.

6. Cookies, web analysis tools, tracking tools and social media plugins

6.1. General

It is in principle possible to use the website of Valais/Wallis Promotion without supplying any personal details. However, we use various cookies and other tools that can lead to processing of personal data, even without the user actively disclosing any information.

When visiting our website for the first time (and every six months thereafter), every user is expressly made aware, by means of a so-called banner, of the use of cookies and other tools. Reference is made to this Data Privacy Statement, which in particular explains in detail how the user must proceed to prevent any cookies or other such tools being used. If you continue to navigate on our website, without having made use of the options for rejecting cookies described here, you are giving your express consent to the use of cookies. The same applies to the use of the tracking, marketing and analysis tools and social media plugins described below.It also specifies the categories of cookies used and their purpose and allows users to express their consent to the use of these cookies, where such consent is required.

6.2. Cookies

Cookies are information files that your Internet browser automatically stores on your computer’s hard drive when you visit our website. Cookies do not damage your computer’s hard drive, nor do they transmit users’ personal data to us. Many cookies contain a so-called cookie ID. A cookie ID is a unique identifier for the cookie. It consists of a sequence of characters by which website pages and servers can be assigned to the specific Internet browser in which the cookie was stored. This allows the website pages visited and the servers to distinguish the individual browser of the person concerned from other Internet browsers that contain other cookies. In this way, a specific Internet browser can be recognised and identified by means of the unique cookie ID.

Cookies help in many ways to make your visit to our website more straightforward, pleasant and useful. For example, we use cookies to tailor more closely to your interests the information, offers and advertising displayed to you.

6.3. Web analysis tools

We use web analysis tools to obtain statistical information about use of our website pages and thereby improve our online services. These tools are generally provided by an external service provider (e.g. Google Analytics). Usually the information gathered for this purpose about the use of a website page is transmitted by means of cookies to the server of the third party, which may be located abroad (notably in the USA).

Before data is transferred, the user’s IP address is shortened, preventing the identification of individual end devices. The IP addresses recorded as part of the use of third-party web analysis tools are not linked with other data of these third-party providers.

You can find detailed information on the web analysis tools used and the data processing that takes place as a result, as well as the ways of preventing this, in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

6.4. Tracking tools

We use various so-called tracking tools on our website. These tracking tools enable us to observe your surfing behaviour on our website. These observations help us to improve our website continuously as we tailor it better to user needs. This process involves the creation of pseudonymised user profiles and the use of cookies.

You can find detailed information on the tracking tools used and the data processing that takes place as a result, as well as the ways of preventing this, in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

6.5. Social media plugins

We use various social media plugins on our website, for example from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The plugins on our website are deactivated by default, and so do not send any data. You can activate the plugins by clicking on the relevant social media button.

If these plugins are activated, your browser establishes a direct connection with the servers of the corresponding social media service as soon as you call up one of our website pages. The content of the plugin is transmitted direct from the social media service to your browser, which integrates the content into the website. The plugins can be deactivated again with a single click.

If you wish to prevent social media services from assigning data collected via our website to your personal profile in the corresponding social media, you must log out of the relevant social media before visiting our website.

You can also completely stop the plugins from loading by using special add-ons for your browser.

You can find detailed information on the social plugins used and the data processing that takes place as a result, as well as the ways of preventing this, in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

6.6 Prevention and deletion

Most Internet browsers accept cookies automatically. You can, however, configure your browser so that no cookies are stored on your computer or so that a message always appears whenever you receive a new cookie. You can also delete cookies from your computer or mobile device by using the corresponding function on your browser.

You can find a list of the tools used with details of providers, the purpose of each tool, the options for preventing or restricting their use in each case, and further information from each provider in the appendix to this Data Privacy Statement.

If you deactivate cookies, you may not be able to use all functions of our website.

7. Analysis of newsletter use

To send out our newsletter, we use e-mail marketing services supplied by third parties. Our newsletter may therefore contain a so-called web beacon (tracking pixel) or similar technical tool. A web beacon is an invisible graphic image measuring 1x1 pixel that is associated with the user ID of the corresponding newsletter subscriber.

The use of such services allows us to determine if the e-mails containing our newsletter have been opened or not. These tools can also help record and evaluate the click-through behaviour of the newsletter recipient. We use these data for statistical purposes and to optimise our newsletter in terms of content and structure. This enables us to tailor the information and offers in our newsletter better to the individual interests of each recipient. The tracking pixel is deleted when you delete the newsletter.

To prevent tracking pixels from being included in our newsletters, please set your e-mail programme so that no HTML is displayed in messages.

8. Right to information, corrections, deletion and restriction of processing; right to data portability

You have the right to obtain, on request and free of charge, information about the personal data we have stored about you. You also have the right to have inaccurate data corrected and the right to have your personal data deleted, unless this is opposed by a statutory obligation to preserve the data, or legal justification or permission that permits us to process the data. If the GDPR is applicable to you, you have the right under articles 18 and 21 GDPR to demand a restriction of the data processing or to oppose any data processing.

If the GDPR is applicable to you, you also have the right to demand that we return the data you have provided to us (right to data portability). On request, we can also transfer the data to a third party of your choice. You have the right to receive the data in a standard data format.

You can contact us for the above-mentioned purposes via the e-mail address dataprotection@valais.ch. We may, at our discretion, require proof of identity to process your request.

You can also tell us what should happen to your data after your death, by giving us appropriate instructions.

9. Right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority

If the GDPR is applicable to you, you have the right to make a complaint to a data protection supervisory authority at any time.

10. Data retention

We store personal data only as long as is necessary:

• to use the above-mentioned tracking, advertising and analysis services within the scope of our legitimate interest • to carry out, to the extent described above, services you have requested or to which you have given your consent (e.g. for newsletters in accordance with Sections 2.2 and 8); • to comply with our legal obligations.

We store contract data for longer, as required by legal storage obligations. Storage obligations that oblige us to store data arise from accounting regulations and tax regulations. These regulations stipulate that business communication, completed contracts and accounting records must be stored for up to 10 years. Once we no longer need this data to carry out services for you, the data is archived. This means that we then use the data only for accounting and tax purposes.

11. Changes to this Data Privacy Statement

We reserve the right to amend or add to this statement at any time at our discretion. The version currently displayed on the website is definitive.

12. Appendices

12.1. List of web analytic tools, tracking tools

12.2. List of social plugins