Privacy Policy

Privacy Statement

Thank you for visiting the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED)/ Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) website (VisitMO.com and Industry.VisitMO.com) and reviewing our privacy policy. This policy lets you know how we handle information we learn about you from your visit to our Web site. The information we receive depends on what you do when you visit our site.

Website (URL) Linking Policy

Links may be included within individual listings on official MDT Web sites. Links to external (Tourism Industry) Web sites are approved or denied by the MDT Web editor, following the requirements listed below. (Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of MDT.)

MDT requests that you post on your Web site a reciprocal link labeled “Official Missouri Tourism Web Site” which takes people to www.VisitMO.com.

• The business/event must be directly involved in Tourism related activities within the state of Missouri.
• Links must point to a Web site or internal page which addresses the specific business, attraction or event concerned. (Example: for the Blue Heron Restaurant, www.FunLake.com does not meet this requirement. The correct link would be: www.FunLake.com/dining/dining_detail.php?id=13
• The site must contain substantially more information about that specific entity/event than was submitted for inclusion in the MDT site listing.
• The Web site must be user friendly and easily readable.
• The Web site/page must be separate from non-tourism related content, advertising or non-tourism third-party links.
• The Web site must be fully operational. Web sites that, in whole or in part, are “Under Construction” will not be approved.
• All information on the Web site must be current and up-to-date, including any events calendar.
• The site may not be used for sales of non-tourism related services or products, including real estate of any type.
• The entire site must be void of any political commentary, campaign information or content that advocates a political position or candidate, either directly or through a third party.

Inclusion of a link to your URL does not imply, nor may it be used to indicate, endorsement or recommendation by MDT, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the State of Missouri or any department/division thereof.

If your link is denied, you will be notified by email as to the reason for that denial. Said email will go to the email address contained in your User Profile. Denied links may be resubmitted once the discrepancies are corrected.

(VisitMO.com and its on-line assets)

Usage Statistics

In order to generate usage statistics to help us improve our Web site, we automatically collect certain information on every visitor to the site. However, this information does not include “personal identifiers,” such as name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc. Each time a request is made to view a page within the Web site, a log file captures generic user information.

Examples of this kind of information include:

• The Internet Service Provider (ISP) through which you access the Internet (aol.com, earthlink.net, etc.);
• The Internet protocol (IP) address of the individual computer (or proxy server) making the request;
• The type of Internet browser and computer operating system you are using (Microsoft Explorer 5.0, Apple Mac OS, etc.);
• The date and time you access the site;
• The Internet address (URL) of the site from which you may have linked to this site.
• All information collected by way of server log files is used in aggregate form only and may be analyzed for trend data and other statistical purposes.

Online Forms and E-Mail

The Missouri Division of Tourism Web site does not collect personally identifying information such as name, address, telephone number, etc., unless you provide the information voluntarily. We may ask for such information so that we can tailor the interactive features of this Web site to your specific interests and needs and in order to most efficiently and effectively provide you with information. You are free to provide or not to provide the requested information. If you choose not to provide this type of information, you can still visit most of the Web site, but you may be unable to take advantage of some of its features.

To order Missouri Vacation Planners, you must enter the appropriate contact information for mailing purposes. We may ask you if we can use this information to contact you in the future with updated information on vacations in Missouri, but the choice is yours. The information you provide will not be sold to outside companies and organizations.

In some instances, the information requested through this Web site is required in order for you to transact business with the Missouri Division of Tourism. This information is maintained in the same manner as information provided to the Missouri Division of Tourism through other mechanisms such as letters, phone calls and hard copy applications submitted in person. This information may also be provided to other governmental organizations in an attempt to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

If you decide to send us an electronic mail message (e-mail), the message will usually contain your return e-mail address. If you include personally identifying information in your e-mail because you want us to address issues specific to your situation, we may use that information in responding to your request. This may require that we share the information with another state agency if the other state agency’s participation is necessary to effectively respond to your request/inquiry. All collected information will be a closed record to the extent allowed by the Missouri Sunshine Law.

Also, e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. Please send only information necessary to help us process your request.

Use of Cookies

On a limited number of its pages, the Missouri Division of Tourism employs “cookies” to provide better service to its customers. The Missouri Division of Tourism does not use cookies to collect any personally identifying information from users or to track user activities beyond our Web site.

Use of Transparent GIF Files

The Missouri Division of Tourism uses pixels, or transparent GIF files, to help manage online advertising. These GIF files are provided by our analytics tracking from Google. These files enable Google to recognize a unique cookie on your Web browser, which in turn enables us to learn how to make our website more responsive to consumer needs. The cookie was placed by us or our advertising partners. The information that we collect and share is anonymous and not personally identifiable. It does not contain your name, address, telephone number, or email address. For more information about Google Analytics click here.

Public Records

Visitors should be aware that, subject to certain statutory exceptions, most documents and records maintained by the State of Missouri, including but not limited to electronic data, are public records under Missouri law. Therefore, information submitted through this Web site may be subject to disclosure pursuant to a public records request.

Linking guidelines for linking to VisitMO.com, the official Missouri Division of Tourism Web site:

We are receiving an increasing number of requests in reference to linking to and/or from our Web site. The following are guidelines for linking to the Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) Web site:

Information presented on the MDT Web site is considered public information and may be distributed, copied or linked to or from non-Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) Web sites. However, the contents of our Web site may not be used for commercial purposes or to imply endorsement by MDT of products or services. For further information contact MDT staff or refer to our usage policies. MDT logos and graphics may be used on non-MDT Web site as graphic buttons that link back to the official MDT Web site. MDT logos and graphics may not be used to create non-official Web sites that give the appearance and general look and feel of the official Web site. All links must be highly visible, relative to other links on that site and say “Missouri Division of Tourism” to identify it.

Disclaimer

The Missouri Division of Tourism reserves the right to accept or reject any and all hot links. Our policy discloses the privacy practices for the Missouri Division of Tourism Web site. While we provide links to other Web sites, once you leave the MDT Web site, you will be going to sites that are beyond our control and you are subject to the privacy policy of that site.

MDT is neither responsible for the content or accuracy of any pages linked to or referenced from this site. Although the Missouri Division of Tourism Web site includes addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation for attractions and dates and hours of events, you should call ahead before driving long distance to visit any single attraction or to attend an event. Time, days and hours of operation may vary and occasionally events are rescheduled or cancelled.