Terms of Use

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

Voala Tour ("Voala Tour", "we") is a company based in Portugal that operates the booking platform for tours, transfers and experiences at voalatour.com. These terms constitute a binding agreement between you and Voala Tour and govern access to and use of the platform in any capacity: Customer (who books), Business (who advertises and provides the services), Partner (a hotel, accommodation provider, agency or other business that books on behalf of its own clients), Driver (who carries out services assigned by a Business) or visitor. By creating an account or using the platform, you accept these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

2. Voala Tour's role

For most services, Voala Tour acts as an intermediary: each service is advertised and provided by an independent Business, and the contract for the service is formed between the Customer and that Business. Businesses, Partners and Drivers are not employees, agents or representatives of Voala Tour.

Some services are sold directly by Voala Tour (identified as sold by "Voala Tour - Operador") and carried out by a licensed tour operator, shown as "Operated by" on the service page or, at the latest, in the booking confirmation. In these cases, the booking is made with Voala Tour and the service is provided by the operator indicated, to whom we pass the necessary details for its performance.

3. Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. You may register using an email address and password (you will need to confirm your email via the link we send you) or using your Google account. You are responsible for the accuracy of your details, for keeping your credentials confidential and for any activity on your account. Notify us immediately at geral@voalatour.com if you suspect unauthorised use. Each account may have at most one Business. You may delete your account on the Account page, without prejudice to records that we are legally required to keep. We may refuse, suspend or close accounts for breach of these terms, suspected fraud or misuse.

4. Registration and approval of Businesses

Registering a Business is free of charge and requires express acceptance of these terms and of the privacy policy (we record the date and time of that acceptance). The tax number or VAT number is validated against the European VIES system, and it is not possible to register two Businesses with the same tax number or the same trading name.

To be approved, a Business must submit the documents requested in the dashboard (certidão permanente [commercial registry certificate] code, business activity licence number and a valid insurance policy). While awaiting approval, you may prepare your services, but they will only become visible on the site once the Business has been approved, has chosen how it wishes to be paid (platform payments or Stripe) and, where applicable, has saved a billing method. If these steps are not completed within the timeframe indicated in the dashboard, the services will cease to be visible until completed. Voala Tour may refuse or suspend a Business that fails to meet these requirements or the law.

5. Listings and Business responsibilities

The Business is solely responsible for the accuracy, lawfulness and quality of each listing: description, photographs, price (per person, per group or per vehicle), extras, additional hours, surcharges, return trips, vehicle capacity and luggage allowance, duration, availability, items included and excluded, and cancellation policy. It is also responsible for holding the licences, insurance and authorisations required by law and for delivering the service as advertised. Approval of a listing by Voala Tour is a moderation check, not a certification or a guarantee.

The platform offers automated tools, including artificial intelligence, to suggest descriptions, translate listings into other languages and read price tables uploaded by the Business. The text and figures generated are suggestions only: the Business must review them and is responsible for the content it publishes. Automated translations may contain inaccuracies.

6. Bookings and payment

The Customer selects the service, date and, where applicable, the time, number of people, vehicles and extras, and provides trip details (contact details, WhatsApp, pick-up location, luggage and, for transfers, flight details). This information must be true and complete; the Customer is responsible for any information regarding luggage exceeding the stated capacity.

Payment is made by card at the time of booking, via Stripe; Voala Tour does not store full card details. The booking is only confirmed once payment has been accepted, and the Customer receives confirmation by email. A booking that is started but not paid for within 60 minutes expires and the slot is released. The prices shown at checkout are the final prices payable by the Customer.

7. Business payouts and commission

Voala Tour retains a commission on each paid booking. The percentage is set by Voala Tour, may be specific to each Business and is shown in the Business dashboard. The Business chooses how it is paid:

• Platform payments (default option): Voala Tour receives payment from the Customer on behalf of the Business and transfers the amount net of commission by bank transfer to the IBAN provided, every 15 days, after each service has been completed.
• Stripe Connect: the Business receives funds directly into its own Stripe account, and the commission is deducted at the time of payment.

Amounts owed by the Business to Voala Tour (for example, commission on sales not made through the platform) are charged in billing cycles, using the saved billing method (card or SEPA direct debit). In the event of non-payment, Voala Tour may restrict account features until the amount is settled.

8. Paid promotions

Businesses may promote their services to feature them more prominently. Tiers, prices and available slots are set by Voala Tour and shown before purchase. Promotions are paid by card at the time of purchase; the price is final, VAT included, and is non-refundable. Unless stated otherwise, the promotion renews automatically at the end of each period, at the price then in effect, until the Business cancels it in the dashboard. Promoted services are marked on the site as sponsored. Voala Tour may offer free promotions or credits at its discretion.

9. Partners

A Business may create accounts for Partners and set, for each one, a commission as a percentage or a fixed amount per sale. The Partner logs into their own area, sees the services made available to them by the Business, and makes bookings on behalf of their clients; sales and amounts owed are recorded in running accounts. The commercial arrangement between the Business and the Partner is the responsibility of both parties: Voala Tour records sales made through the platform but does not guarantee or collect amounts owed between them outside the platform.

10. Drivers

Drivers are invited, assigned and supervised by the Business, which is responsible for their engagement, qualifications, licences, insurance and conduct. On the platform, the Driver sees the services assigned to them along with the details needed to carry them out (time, pick-up location, passengers, luggage, flight details and customer contact), marks the start and completion of the service, and may report issues. The Driver may only use this information to carry out the service. Voala Tour has no employment or service relationship whatsoever with Drivers.

11. Cancellations, refunds and disputes

Each service states how many hours before the start the Customer may cancel free of charge. Up to that deadline, the Customer may cancel via their account and automatically receives a full refund to the same card. After that deadline, the Customer may request cancellation through the platform; the request is reviewed by the Business and by Voala Tour in accordance with the service's cancellation policy. If the Business cancels a service for reasons not attributable to the Customer, the Customer receives a full refund. No-shows and last-minute changes are handled between the Customer and the Business, with Voala Tour's support where necessary. Payment disputes raised with the bank (chargebacks) are managed by Voala Tour together with the Business involved.

12. Messages, reviews and content

Each booking has an associated conversation between the Customer, the Business and the Voala Tour team, which may read it in order to provide support and resolve issues. Only a Customer with a completed booking may review that service, and the Business may respond publicly. Reviews must be truthful and based on genuine experience; posting or commissioning fake reviews is prohibited. Any user may report a review, and Voala Tour may hide content that breaches these terms or the law.

13. Emails and newsletter

We send emails necessary for the operation of the service (account confirmation, bookings, messages, cancellations, payments). Customers only receive the newsletter with news and promotions if they expressly opt in, either at registration or on the Account page, and may unsubscribe at any time. Businesses and business contacts may receive information about the platform. All newsletters include an unsubscribe link, and anyone who unsubscribes will no longer receive them.

14. Acceptable use

• Do not use the platform for unlawful, fraudulent or misleading purposes.
• Do not arrange payments outside the platform to avoid commission, and do not circumvent the payment system.
• Do not use personal data received through a booking for any purpose other than fulfilling that booking.
• Do not list services that you are not legally authorised or qualified to provide.
• Do not post fake reviews or content that is offensive, unlawful or that infringes the rights of third parties.
• Do not interfere with the platform, reverse-engineer it, or extract data automatically (scraping).
• Do not impersonate another person or business.

We may suspend or terminate access for breach of this section.

15. Intellectual property

The Voala Tour name and logo, and the platform's design and software, belong to or are licensed to Voala Tour. Content uploaded by a Business (photographs, descriptions) remains its own; by publishing it, the Business warrants that it holds the necessary rights and grants Voala Tour a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display, translate and use it to promote the platform for as long as the listing remains published. Stock photographs suggested by the platform are used under the terms of the relevant supplier's licence.

16. Disclaimers

The platform is provided "as is" and "as available". To the extent permitted by law, we do not guarantee that it will always be available or error-free, nor do we guarantee the quality, safety, punctuality or lawfulness of the services provided by Businesses, which remain the responsibility of the party providing them.

17. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, Voala Tour is not liable for indirect losses or loss of profits, and our total liability to you for any claim relating to the platform is limited to the amount of commission actually retained on the booking in question. For services sold directly by Voala Tour, we are liable to the Customer in accordance with applicable law. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, nor the rights guaranteed to consumers under Portuguese and European law.

18. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify Voala Tour against claims, losses or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from breach of these terms, misuse of the platform, or, in the case of Businesses, Partners and Drivers, the provision or resale of services.

19. Right of withdrawal

The 14-day right of withdrawal applicable to distance purchases does not apply to transport and leisure services provided on a specific date or during a specific period (Directive 2011/83/EU and Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2014 [Portuguese consumer rights decree-law]), such as the tours, transfers and experiences offered on this platform. Cancellation is governed by each service's policy, as set out in section 11.

20. Force majeure

Neither Voala Tour nor Businesses, Partners or Drivers are liable for failures or delays caused by circumstances beyond their reasonable control, such as extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, strikes, war, epidemics or decisions by public authorities.

21. Changes

We may change, suspend or discontinue parts of the platform and update these terms. The version in force is always the one published on this page, together with the date of last update; if a change is significant, we will notify you in a clearly visible manner. Continuing to use the platform after a change takes effect means that you accept it.

22. Severability and entire agreement

If any provision of these terms is held to be invalid, the remaining provisions shall continue in effect. These terms, together with the privacy policy and the conditions presented on each service and at checkout, constitute the entire agreement between you and Voala Tour regarding the platform.

23. Complaints, dispute resolution and applicable law

Before pursuing any other avenue, please contact us at geral@voalatour.com so that we can try to resolve the matter. Consumers may also lodge a complaint through the Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico [Electronic Complaints Book] (livroreclamacoes.pt) and may use an alternative consumer dispute resolution body, such as CNIACC — Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo [National Centre for Consumer Dispute Information and Arbitration] (cniacc.pt); the full list of bodies is available on the Consumer Portal (consumidor.gov.pt). These terms are governed by Portuguese law. Disputes are subject to the Portuguese courts, without prejudice to any mandatory rights the consumer may have to bring proceedings before the courts of their country of residence.

24. Contact

Questions about these terms: geral@voalatour.com.