Terms of Use of the Portal www.visitventspils.com
1. General Provisions
1.1. These provisions prescribe the procedure of publishing information on the official website/ virtual embassy www.visitventspils.com (hereinafter – “Portal”) of the Tourist Information Centre (hereinafter – “TIC) operated by Ventspils State City Municipality, as well as the procedure by which a portal user, i.e., any individual or legal entity using the content and services of the Portal (‘Venti’ games, Cooperation with Enterprises, etc.) (hereinafter – “User”), shall use the Portal.
1.2. The Terms of Use of the Portal shall be applicable to and binding upon all Portal Users, regardless of whether he or she is a registered user of this Portal.
1.3. The Portal is aimed to inform the Portal Users about tourist attractions, accommodation and catering opportunities, current events, and activities, to publish news and information on tourism and tourist activities mainly concerning the city and municipality of Ventspils and the Kurzeme region, as well as to allow all Users to earn the local non-monetary currency ‘Venti’.
1.5. The operation of the Portal is coordinated and organized by the TIC, while the maintenance of the Portal is ensured by the Ventspils Digital Centre operated by Ventspils State City Municipality. The Portal editor, who is a TIC employee (hereinafter – “Portal Editor”), ensures that the operation and content of the Portal comply with the relevant laws and regulations, including these Terms of Use.
1.6. If a User keeps using the Portal, it shall be considered that he or she has consented to these Terms of Use, including all amendments thereto. Each Portal User shall read the Terms of Use of the Portal on a regular basis, in order to be aware of the amendments thereto.
1.7. The TIC shall not assume any responsibility for access to the Portal, sharing of information available on the Portal, any technical problems in the operation of the Portal, or any changes to the profile data of the Portal User due to unauthorized access by third parties.
1.8. The TIC shall in no circumstances be liable for any damages incurred by Portal Users as a result of using the Portal and its services.
2. Publishing of Information on the Portal
2.1. Only information that is in line with the aim and content of the Portal shall be published on the Portal.
2.2. Visi portālā ievietotie lietotāju personas dati tiek aizsargāti atbilstoši normatīvajiem aktiem personas datu apstrādes un aizsardzības jomā. Šo datu apstrāde tiek veikta ievērojot normatīvajos aktos noteiktos vispārīgos personas datu apstrādes un aizsardzības principus. User’s personal data is available here.
2.3. By submitting information for publishing on the Portal, the User thus authorizes the TIC to publish this information and copyrighted works related thereto.
2.4. Each Portal User shall be responsible for any information he or she publishes on the Portal, including, but not limited to, own company’s details, photographs, video materials, and links to all previously mentioned materials, and he or she shall assume full responsibility for all consequences (including the legal ones) resulting from publishing or sending the said information.
2.5. The Portal User shall be allowed to use the information published on the Portal for non-commercial purposes, without the need to obtain previous consent of the Portal Editor. The Portal User shall do so by quoting references to the Portal and by complying with the Copyright Law and other relevant laws and regulations.
2.6. Portal Users may:
2.6.1. Ask questions and propose rectification of an error encountered on the Portal by e-mail: [email protected].
2.6.2. Read, share, and download materials published on the website.
2.6.3. Play virtual games under “Earn Venti” and receive the earned ‘Venti’ at the locations referred to in Clause 4.11.
2.6.4. Create a Favourites Cart and a trip route of their liking (for more information, see Clause 5).
2.6.5. Obtain information on the most popular tourist attractions (“TOP” icon) (for more information, see Clause 6).
2.6.6. Add information in the section “Cooperation with Enterprises” (for more information, see Clause 7).
2.6.7. Carry out activities of commercial nature (reports to be published – product or service for the potential company or consumer).
2.7. Portal Users shall not:
2.7.1. Publish or send information on the Portal that does not comply with the requirements laid down in the relevant laws and regulations.
2.7.2. Publish false or unverifiable information, including news that cannot be verified due to the lack of facts.
2.7.3. Publish personal data of individuals without their consent.
2.7.4. Publish or send information (including photographs, video, and audio materials) which may result in a violation or breach of the intellectual property rights of third parties (copyright, etc.).
2.7.5. Disclose their Portal access data to third parties.
2.7.6. Publish information that affects the honour and reputation of an individual.
2.7.7. Publish information that incites violence, racial hatred, or other unlawful activities.
2.7.8. Use vulgar, derogatory, or otherwise offensive language.
Publish politically oriented information that might be considered political agitation and/or defamation.
2.7.10. Publish information that contains viruses or has been generated to interfere with the operation (safety) of the software of a computer or electronic communications.
2.7.11. Information that demonstrates characteristics of junk mail, spam, chain letters, or unsolicited advertising.
2.7.12. Publish pornographic or excessively erotic content.
2.7.13. Publish other information that affects (or may affect) the normal operation and security of the Portal.
2.8. Upon finding that the information referred to in Clause 2.7 has been published, the TIC shall be entitled to immediately remove such information, to delete the profile of the User who had published such information, and to temporarily block access to it.
2.9. All intellectual property rights relating to the Portal is the property of the TIC. In case of violation of these rights, the perpetrator shall, in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, be held liable for all damages caused to the TIC in this respect.
2.10. The Portal User shall undertake all necessary measures to hold the TIC harmless and indemnify them against all claims by third parties that are brought against the TIC and are in any way related to the use of the Portal by the User.
3. Rights and Obligations of the Portal Editor
3.1. The Portal Editor shall be entitled to verify the veracity, accuracy, and objectivity of the information submitted for publishing and, in case of any doubts, refuse to publish it without prior notice, as well as to delete information that contains false or unverifiable facts or, in other words, that does not comply with the provisions of these Terms of Use, as well as to limit or deny User access to the Portal, without bearing any responsibility in this respect.
3.2. The Portal Editor shall perform his or her duties by exercising his or her editorial independence.
3.3. Neither the Portal Editor nor the TIC shall be responsible for the veracity, accuracy, or objectivity of the information submitted for publishing.
3.4. Neither the Portal Editor nor the TIC shall be held liable for the actions on the part of the Portal Users and providers of information that have harmed the legal interests of third parties, or for information republished from other sources.
3.5. The Portal Editor shall notify the TIC manager of any alleged violations of the relevant laws and regulations.
4. Earn ‘Venti’
4.1. Section where the Portal Users can not only play virtual games, but also learn about the local currency ‘Venti’ and locations where it is accepted.
4.2. ‘Venti’ = Discount coupon. ‘Venti’ is a non-monetary method of payment in Ventspils City. Introduced in 2011, it is a local currency that gives certain privileges when visiting various recreational and entertainment facilities in Ventspils. ‘Venti’ does not replace Latvia’s national currency – the euro.
4.3. The Portal is accessible to all Users; however, only those who have completed the authentication in section “Earn Venti”, choosing either of the available authentication options (social networks or Google), can earn the ‘Venti’. The User must be at least 13 years old.
4.4. There are six different denominations of ‘Venti’ banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500. All banknotes feature cows that were created by well-known artists in Latvia and placed all over the city during the International Ventspils Cow Parade 2002.
4.5. All registered Portal Users, who use the Portal in accordance with the Terms of Use of the Portal, are eligible to receive the reward – the ‘Venti’.
4.6. The amount of ‘Venti’ earned for each game is shown on the Portal User’s account.
4.7. The maximum amount of ‘Venti’ on the account of one User shall not exceed 2,000 ‘Venti’. Once this amount has been reached, the User may still continue to participate in the activities available on the Portal; however, without earning the ‘Venti’. The ‘Venti’ can be received once a month.
4.8. ‘Venti’ exchange rate: EUR 1.00 = 100 ‘Venti’.
4.9. Upon registration (creation of a new profile), a Portal User receives a one-time reward of 50 ‘Venti’. Each registered User can receive this reward only once.
4.10. Each person may register on the Portal only once, in one language, using one of the available social networks.
4.11. Each registered Portal User receives a unique security code.
4.12. Upon presenting the unique security code and a personal identity document, the registered Portal Users may exchange the virtually earned ‘Venti’ for real ones at the TIC (Dārzu iela 6, Ventspils) or at the hotel of the Olympic Centre Ventspils (Lielais prospekts 33, Ventspils).
4.13. The virtually earned ‘Venti’ shall be withdrawn no later than within 24 months after they have been earned. If the User has failed to withdraw the ‘Venti’ by the specified deadline, they shall be automatically deleted from the User’s account.
4.14. The ‘Venti’ can be used at various tourist facilities as discount coupons. More information on facilities that accept this currency is available under “Earn Venti”. The applicable discounts in exchange of ‘Venti’ are determined by the tourist facilities themselves. The required amount of ‘Venti’ is subject to changes depending on the season.
4.15. The label is displayed in all facilities that accept the ‘Venti’.
4.16. All facilities accepting the ‘Venti’, which are listed on the website and in all materials provided by the TIC, bear the logo of the ‘Venti’.
4.17. Entrepreneurs based in the city and municipality of Ventspils may apply to be become a cooperation partner and one of the facilities that accept the ‘Venti’.
4.18. Venti are intended for use in Ventspils tourist facilities as a discount coupon or to be used as a souvenir. It is not possible to exchange Ventus for the official currency introduced in the Republic of Latvia – the euro, and the user of venti may not further trade the earned ventus, for which a reward is received.
5. Favourites Cart – Route Creator
5.1. On the Portal, next to each piece of information, there is a heart-shaped icon, which is an active push-button.
5.2. After pressing the heart button, the Portal User can select content of his or her liking, placing it in the Favourites Cart, view it, and print it separately.
5.3. The Portal User can unlike the content by tapping on the heart button once. When active, the heart displayed in the Favourites Cart is full. When inactive, only a yellow heart outline is displayed.
5.4. Another function of the Favourites Cart is the Route Creator – a route is created automatically in the order of selecting the favourites.
5.5. The numbering order of the favourites can be changed and afterwards also used in printed form.
5.6. Information containing the name of the facility, telephone number, and address is available in printed form.
5.7. A map is created in the Favourites Cart. By tapping on each of the selected locations, the User receives Google directions.
5.8. Information available in the Favourites Cart is stored as long as required by the User. It is up to the Portal User to delete the content of the Favourites Cart, in order to create a new favourites list.
6. TOP
A yellow icon that indicates the most popular content on the Portal
7. Cooperation with Enterprises
7.1. Section where the User may register his or her profile and publish tourism-related information about the enterprise (catering, accommodation, boat rental, etc.) in the city and municipality of Ventspils.
7.2. This section is intended for entrepreneurs who seek to cooperate with the TIC and to improve their range of services to be offered in the city and municipality of Ventspils.
8. Final Provisions
8.1. It is the responsibility of the Portal Users and providers of information to get themselves acquainted and comply with these Terms of Use and to refrain from any activities aimed at bypassing or damaging the security system of the Portal or at disrupting its operation.
8.2. All disputes between the TIC and the Portal Users arising out of these Terms of Use shall be settled by mutual negotiations. If the disputes cannot be resolved by amicable means, they shall be settled in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the Republic of Latvia.
8.3. The new version of the Terms of Use of the Portal shall take effect once it has been published on the Portal.