1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They allow websites to recognize you, remember your preferences, and enhance your user experience. Cookies are widely used on the internet and are a standard technology for website functionality. Each cookie consists of a name, a value, and expiration information.
2. Our Use of Cookies
Gorge Valley Haven uses cookies to improve your experience on our website, provide essential functionality, analyze website performance, and deliver relevant content. We categorize our cookies into four types: Essential, Analytics, Preferences, and Marketing. Some cookies are essential for the website to function properly; others are optional and require your consent.
3. Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function and provide basic services. These cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for:
- Maintaining user sessions and authentication
- Processing tour bookings and payments
- Protecting against fraud and security threats
- Remembering your cookie consent choice
- Loading pages correctly and displaying content
Examples: session ID, CSRF token, login credentials. These expire when you close your browser or after a defined session period.
4. Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, where visitors come from, and how long they spend on pages. This information helps us improve our website, identify technical issues, and enhance user experience. We use analytics services including Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data. These cookies do not identify you personally but may be linked to your session. Expiration: typically 2 years.
5. Preference Cookies
Preference cookies remember your settings and choices, such as language selection, display preferences, font size, or regional settings. These cookies allow us to provide a personalized experience tailored to your preferences without requiring you to re-enter information on every visit. Examples: language preference, accessibility settings, theme preference. Expiration: typically 1-2 years.
6. Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies are used to deliver targeted content and personalized advertising. These cookies track your browsing behavior across websites to show you relevant tour offers, promotions, and content based on your interests. Marketing cookies may be shared with third-party advertising partners. These cookies require your explicit consent and can be disabled without affecting core website functionality. Expiration: typically 6 months to 2 years.
7. Third-Party Cookies
In addition to cookies set by Gorge Valley Haven, we allow third-party service providers (Google Analytics, payment processors, advertising networks) to set cookies on your device. These third parties have their own cookie policies and privacy practices. You can review their policies on their respective websites. We do not control third-party cookies and recommend reviewing their policies directly.
8. Cookie Consent and Management
When you first visit Gorge Valley Haven, a cookie banner appears asking for your consent. Essential cookies are automatically enabled. You can choose to:
- Accept All Cookies — enable all cookie categories
- Reject Optional Cookies — use only essential cookies
- Customize Preferences — choose which optional categories to enable
Your choice is saved in a cookie and remembered on future visits. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking "Cookie Preferences" in the website footer.
9. Browser Cookie Controls
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through browser settings. You can:
- Accept all cookies automatically
- Reject all cookies automatically
- Be prompted each time a cookie is requested
- Delete cookies when you close your browser
- Block cookies from specific websites
Note: Disabling essential cookies may cause website functionality to break. Instructions for managing cookies in popular browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) are available on each browser's support website.
10. Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" feature. When you enable DNT, your browser sends a signal to websites requesting that they not track your browsing activity. Gorge Valley Haven respects the DNT signal in your browser. If you enable DNT, we will not use tracking cookies unless essential for functionality. However, not all websites honor DNT signals.
11. Flash Cookies and Local Storage
In addition to standard cookies, websites may use Adobe Flash cookies (Local Shared Objects) or HTML5 local storage to store information on your device. These technologies function similarly to cookies but may not be controlled by standard browser cookie settings. We do not currently use Flash cookies or local storage on Gorge Valley Haven, but third-party services may. You can manage Flash cookies through Adobe's privacy settings.
12. Pixel Tags and Web Beacons
Gorge Valley Haven may use pixel tags (also called web beacons or tracking pixels) in emails and web pages to track whether emails have been opened, whether links have been clicked, and to gather usage statistics. Pixel tags are tiny, invisible images that send information back to our servers. You can opt out of pixel tracking by disabling images in your email client or by unsubscribing from marketing emails.
13. Retargeting and Advertising
Gorge Valley Haven works with advertising partners to show you targeted ads across the internet based on your prior visits to our website. This is called retargeting or remarketing. These ads help us reach people who have shown interest in our tours. You can opt out of retargeting through Google Ads settings, Facebook Ads Preferences, or industry opt-out tools. Opting out does not prevent ads; it simply makes them less targeted.
14. Data Retention and Deletion
We retain cookie data only as long as necessary for their stated purpose. Essential cookies expire when your session ends or at defined intervals. Analytics cookies are typically retained for 2 years. Marketing cookies are retained for 6 months to 2 years. You can delete cookies from your device at any time through browser settings. Deleting cookies will remove your consent choice; you will see the cookie banner again on your next visit.
15. Changes to This Cookie Policy
Gorge Valley Haven may update this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in our cookie practices, new technologies, or legal requirements. Material changes will be notified via email (if you have provided an email) or through prominent notice on our website. Your continued use of our website following changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
16. Contact Us
If you have questions about our cookie practices, wish to opt out of specific cookies, or have concerns about how we use cookies, please contact us:
Gorge Valley Haven Privacy Team
Email: privacy@gorgevalleyhaven.com
Phone: +81-25-269-2783
Address: 3336 Shindori, Nishi Ward, Niigata 950-2035, Japan
Response time: 30 business days