Privacy Policy (PPS)

The Greater Bay Area Yacht & Cruise Industry Association ("GBAYCIA," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of the personal data we hold. We pledge to meet fully, and where possible exceed, internationally recognized standards of personal data privacy protection, in complying with the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) ("PDPO") under the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

This Privacy Policy Statement ("Statement") outlines our practices regarding the collection, use, retention, disclosure, transfer, security, and access of your personal data.
 

1. Collection of Personal Data

When you interact with GBAYCIA—whether by submitting an inquiry through our contact form, registering for an event, applying for membership, or subscribing to our communications—we may collect personal data from you. The types of personal data we may collect include, but are not limited to:

•Your name, title, and company name.

•Contact information such as email address, telephone number, and postal address.

•Professional details and areas of interest within the maritime sector.

Cookies and Website Tracking:Our website may use cookies, web beacons, and similar analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to collect website server visitor records, including IP addresses, domain names, browser types, and settings. This data is used to enhance user experience and analyze website traffic. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect website functionality.
 

2. Purpose of Collection

The personal data you provide will be used for the following purposes:

•To process, evaluate, and respond to your specific inquiries, applications, or requests.

•To provide you with information, services, or support that you have requested.

•To manage your membership or participation in GBAYCIA events, exhibitions, and initiatives.

•To maintain a record of our correspondence for quality assurance, administrative, and legal purposes.

•To conduct internal statistical analysis and research to improve our services and operations.
 

3. Voluntary vs. Mandatory Collection

Providing your personal data is generally voluntary. However, fields marked with an asterisk (*) or designated as "required" on our forms are mandatory. If you fail to provide the required personal data, we may be unable to process your inquiry, application, or provide the requested services.
 

4. Disclosure and Transfer of Personal Data

We will keep your personal data confidential. We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. However, to fulfill the purposes outlined above, we may disclose or transfer your personal data to the following parties (whether within or outside Hong Kong):

•Our employees, officers, or authorized service providers (e.g., IT support, event organizers) who require the information to fulfill your request. We adopt contractual or other means to prevent unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure, loss, or use of the personal data transferred to our data processors.

•Partner organizations or co-organizers of specific events you have registered for, solely for the purpose of managing that event.

•Relevant government, regulatory, or law enforcement authorities, as required or permitted by Hong Kong law.

Where personal data is transferred outside Hong Kong, we will ensure such transfers comply with the requirements of the PDPO.
 

5. Direct Marketing

We intend to use your personal data (specifically your name, email address, and company name) for direct marketing purposes relating to GBAYCIA news, upcoming events, industry reports, and membership opportunities.

However, we will not use your personal data for direct marketing unless we have received your explicit consent. You may indicate your consent by ticking the opt-in box provided on our registration or contact forms.

Upon our first use of your personal data for direct marketing, we will notify you of your right to require us to cease such use. You may subsequently opt out of receiving direct marketing communications at any time, free of charge, by following the unsubscribe instructions included in our emails or by contacting our Data Protection Officer.
 

6. Data Retention

In accordance with the PDPO, we will not retain your personal data for longer than is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. Generally, we will retain your personal data for the duration of your membership or active engagement with GBAYCIA, plus a period of seven (7) years to comply with legal, tax, or accounting obligations. Once the retention period expires, your data will be securely deleted or anonymized.
 

7. Data Accuracy

We will take all practicable steps to ensure that personal data held by us is accurate. Please notify us if any of your personal data changes so that we may update our records accordingly.
 

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures (including SSL/TLS encryption, firewalls, and strict access controls) to protect your personal data against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure, loss, or use. Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel on a strict need-to-know basis.

Data Breach Handling:In the event of a data breach, we have procedures in place to investigate, contain, and notify affected individuals and the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) as appropriate.
 

9. Data Access and Correction Rights

Under the PDPO, you have the right to:

•Check whether we hold your personal data.

•Request access to the personal data we hold about you.

•Request the correction of any inaccurate personal data we hold about you.

•Ascertain our policies and practices in relation to personal data.

How to Make a Request:All requests for access to or correction of personal data, or inquiries regarding our privacy policies, should be addressed in writing to our Data Protection Officer at:

Email: info@gbaycia.orgAddress: A.M.L. 28A Shum Wan Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong

We will comply with your data access request within forty (40) days after receiving it. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before processing the request. We may charge a reasonable fee to cover the administrative costs of processing your data access request (such as photocopying charges), but no fee will be charged for making a data correction request.
 

10. Changes to this Statement

We may update this Statement from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on our website, and the revised date will be indicated.

Last Updated: May 2026
 

Personal Information Collection Statement (PICS) Summary

(Note: This short PICS should be displayed at the point of data collection, such as on contact forms or event registration pages, linking back to the full Privacy Policy Statement above.)
 

The personal data collected in this form will be used by GBAYCIA to process your inquiry or registration. Providing your data is voluntary, but failure to provide required fields may prevent us from processing your request. Your data may be transferred to our authorized service providers or event co-organizers for these purposes. We will not use your data for direct marketing without your explicit consent. You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal data. For more details, please read our full Privacy Policy Statement. To make a data access or correction request, contact our Data Protection Officer at info@gbaycia.org or at A.M.L. 28A Shum Wan Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong.