Privacy Policy

Destination Ontario is committed to respecting the privacy and protecting the personal information of individuals who visit our website at www.destinationontario.com.

As an Agency of the Government of Ontario, Destination Ontario is required to protect any personal information we collect from you while it is in our custody or under our control. Destination Ontario is governed by the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31 (FIPPA).

This page sets out our privacy policy and describes why and how we collect, use and disclose personal information which you choose to provide to us on our website. 

Links to other websites and social media platforms

This policy does not apply to websites that are not under the control or management of Destination Ontario. Our website contains links to other independent websites and social media platforms for tourism business operators, services, experiences and destinations in Ontario. Destination Ontario does not own, manage, endorse or control the content, privacy policies, terms of conditions or language options for independent, third-party websites. Destination Ontario is not responsible for the usefulness, appropriateness or reliability of the content or experience on independent websites. 

For more information about links to other websites, please refer to the Government of Ontario’s Terms of Use.

Personal Information

The Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31 defines "personal information" to mean recorded information about any identifiable individual, including name, address, telephone number, email address, age, gender, marital status, personal views, preferences and opinions.

Destination Ontario's Authority to Collect Personal Information

Destination Ontario may collect personal information to market and promote Ontario as a tourist destination in accordance with section 3 of O.Reg. 618/98 made under the Development Corporations Act.

You are under no obligation to disclose any personal information to us at any time. 
The information you choose to give us will enable us to provide you with information, assistance and services personalized to your travel and vacation preferences, such as name, email address and mobile number for virtual travel counselling or booking, and to better tailor our website and our tourism marketing initiatives to the individuals who use the site.

How We Use Personal Information

We keep personal information stored securely on our system and will not release it to any third party without your prior consent. Any personal information you give us will only be used for the purpose of sharing travel information. 

None of your personal information will ever be shared, rented, sold or otherwise released to any third party, except to our supplier(s) as described above, or where you have consented to release your photos to the Destination Ontario and the people it hires to promote Ontario in accordance with the Terms of Use and Consent for the photo application. Destination Ontario is legally obliged to ensure we only retain your personal information for the minimum period that it serves the purpose.

Destination Ontario Cookie Policy

Our site uses "cookies" which are small files containing pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer's hard drive. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can set your browser to block them. Our cookies cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. 

We collect cookie information to track and analyze your behaviour on our website in order to provide you with a better user experience in the future. 

We use web analytics services such as Google Analytics to help analyze the use of our websites. These tools use cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to our sites (including your IP address) that is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. 

Information about your web visit that we collect includes, but is not limited to:

• how you got to the site (from a search engine, third-party link, etc.)
• the pages you visit on the site
• how long you spend on each page
• what you click on while you are visiting the site
• what device and browser you use to access the pages

We study patterns of website activity so we can improve the experience of visitors to our sites. The use of these tools does not allow us or our analytics service providers to identify individuals.

Industry Partner Online Behavioural Advertising / Targeted Advertising

Destination Ontario engages in Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) and use cookies for targeted advertising activities. As you browse our website, cookies will be placed on your computer. Cookies help personalize and maximize your online experience. The cookie has a unique identifier assigned to the device but does not alone contain information about you personally. Destination Ontario treats all of this information as your personal information to ensure it is properly protected. Targeted ads displayed to you are based on the activity associated with the cookieID during your visit to our website.

When showing you tailored ads, we do not associate an identifier from cookies (or similar technologies) with personal information such as ethnicity, religion or health. Destination Ontario websites are not intended for use directly by children under 13 years of age.

Opt-Out Process

You can opt out of analytics activity by setting your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent and block analytics cookies if desired. Please consult your browser’s Help Menu for instructions. 

Please note that turning off cookies may adversely affect your use of Destination Ontario websites. To opt out of this type of internet-based advertising, you can choose to:

• Set your browser to decline third-party cookies
• Delete the advertiser’s cookie each time you get it
• Make use of Google’s cookie management processes

Please note that cookies are specific to your browser and computer. If you change browsers and/or computers, your settings will not carry over.

Opting out does not mean you will no longer receive advertisements. It does mean that Destination Ontario or its member companies from which you opted out will no longer customize ads based on your interests and web usage patterns using cookie-based technology.

Questions About this Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy email us at destinationontario@ontario.ca, clearly stating that your inquiry is a privacy question. 

For more general inquiries please call 1-800-668-2746.

Questions About the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)

For more information about making a privacy complaint to the IPC, see the IPC website Filing a Privacy Complaint. For more information about appealing an access or correction decision to the IPC, see the IPC website Filing an Appeal.

In addition to the privacy rules of FIPPA the government of Ontario has also established privacy policies and practices that also govern how we manage personal information including:

• the management of privacy breaches
• conducting privacy and security assessments when we change the way we provide programs and services or when we use contractors or agents to assist us provide programs and services
• consultations with the IPC when we develop legislation or regulations, or change programs, that involve the management of personal information

Questions or comments regarding these practices or the administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) in Government of Ontario ministries and agencies, may be directed to the Information, Privacy and Archives Division, Ministry of Government Services, by e-mailing access.privacy@ontario.ca or calling 416-327-1600 (select option 9) or 1-800-668-9933.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Updates and revisions will be made to the Destination Ontario website Privacy Policy, with the most recent revision date identified at the bottom of the Privacy Policy page. Continued use of the website after each revision shall qualify as user consent to policy changes.

Government of Ontario’s Privacy Statement

Get more information about the Government of Ontario’s Privacy Statement.