Our editorial principles
Usefulness
We publish information because we believe it can help someone plan or enjoy a trip to Salvador better.
We do not create content simply to fill pages or chase keywords that offer no real value to visitors.
Clarity
Travel already involves enough decisions: where to stay, how much to spend, how to get around, where to eat, whether it will rain and why someone decided that a seven-in-the-morning tour was a reasonable thing to schedule during a holiday.
For that reason, we aim to present information clearly, directly and with context. When a subject requires additional explanation, we prefer to explain rather than oversimplify.
Editorial independence
Editorial recommendations and reviews cannot be bought.
Businesses, attractions, hotels, restaurants or other commercial partners may appear in advertising, sponsored content or affiliate relationships, but that does not give them control over our opinions or editorial criteria.
Whenever there is a commercial relationship relevant to a piece of content, it will be clearly disclosed.
Local context
Salvador is not simply a collection of tourist attractions.
Its culture, history, religion, music, food, neighbourhoods, popular celebrations, beaches and ways of life are part of the experience of the city.
Whenever possible, we explain this context so Salvador is not presented merely as a collection of places to photograph. We also aim to approach cultural traditions, religious expressions and local communities with respect and accuracy.
Transparency
No travel guide can guarantee that every piece of information will remain correct forever.
Opening hours change. Restaurants close. Fares increase. Events are cancelled. Construction starts. Transport routes change. And occasionally even the weather decides to abandon any commitment to logic.
When there is uncertainty, we aim to make it clear.
How we choose our recommendations
Salvador Insider does not aim to list everything that exists in Salvador.
Our goal is to select information and experiences we consider particularly useful, interesting or relevant to visitors.
Factors we may consider include:
- relevance to travellers;
- historical or cultural importance;
- quality of the experience;
- location and ease of access;
- value relative to the experience offered;
- consistent reputation;
- authenticity and connection to Salvador;
- safety and practical visiting conditions;
- recent visitor reviews;
- information from reliable local sources;
- suitability for different types of travellers.
What a recommendation means
A recommendation does not mean that a particular business or experience is objectively ‘the best’.
Personal preferences exist, fortunately. Otherwise the entire human race would be standing in line for exactly the same restaurant.
Our role is to provide enough context for each visitor to make their own choice.
Sources and fact-checking
We aim to verify relevant information before publication.
Whenever possible, we prioritise primary and official sources, including:
- public authorities;
- municipal and state government departments;
- cultural institutions;
- museums and attractions;
- transport companies;
- airports;
- official event organisers;
- businesses and tourism operators;
- information published by those directly responsible for a service.
Additional sources
We may also use recognised news organisations, databases, studies, specialist publications, review platforms and recent user reports when they are relevant to understanding an experience or identifying changes.
Important information may be checked against more than one source. When different sources conflict, we aim to use the most recent and reliable information available or state that uncertainty exists.
Information that changes frequently
Some travel information has a dangerously short shelf life.
This includes:
- prices;
- opening hours;
- event schedules;
- fares;
- ticket availability;
- transport routes and timetables;
- restaurant operations;
- access rules;
- beach conditions;
- construction work;
- temporary restrictions.
Before you visit
We aim to keep this information current, but we recommend confirming critical details directly with the business, attraction, company or public authority responsible before visiting.
When appropriate, we provide links or references to the responsible source.
Safety and practical information
Content related to safety receives particular attention.
Our goal is neither to alarm visitors nor to minimise risks. We aim to provide practical and proportionate guidance based on official information, local context and situations that may directly affect travellers.
Safety conditions can vary by location, time of day, event and specific circumstances. Guidance of this kind should therefore be understood as general information, not as a guarantee that a particular situation will be completely safe or unsafe.
In emergencies, instructions from public authorities and official services should always take priority.
Health, weather and wellbeing
We may publish general guidance related to weather, sun exposure, hydration, food, mosquitoes, beaches and other common travel situations.
This information is provided for general travel purposes and does not replace professional medical advice.
Visitors with specific health conditions should consider their own needs and seek advice from qualified professionals when necessary.
Corrections
Errors happen. The relevant difference is what we do after them.
When we identify incorrect published information, we aim to correct it as soon as possible.
Corrections may include:
- updating data;
- replacing outdated information;
- removing recommendations that are no longer appropriate;
- clarifying ambiguous information;
- adding relevant context.
Requests for correction
When a change is substantial and relevant to how content should be interpreted, we may indicate that the material has been updated.
Readers, businesses and institutions may also report possible errors through our contact channels.
Receiving a correction request does not mean that a change will be made automatically. The information will first be verified.
Reviews, opinions and experiences
Some Salvador Insider content may include editorial evaluations or interpretations.
In those cases, we aim to distinguish verifiable facts from opinions.
Comments about atmosphere, experience, setting, perceived quality or suitability for a particular type of traveller are necessarily subjective.
Whenever possible, we explain the criteria behind these evaluations so readers can decide whether those criteria matter to their own trip.
Sponsored content
Salvador Insider may work with advertisers, partners and brands.
When content is produced as part of a commercial relationship or sponsorship, that relationship will be clearly identified.
Sponsored content must not be presented to readers as an independent editorial recommendation.
We do not accept payment in exchange for deliberately positive reviews or for hiding relevant information.
Paid advertising and editorial content must remain clearly distinguishable.
Affiliate links
Some content may contain affiliate links.
This means Salvador Insider may receive a commission when a visitor makes a booking, purchase or other action through certain links.
Whenever this model is used, we will disclose the commercial relationship appropriately.
The use of affiliate links must not determine our recommendations. When different relevant options exist, our goal remains to present the alternatives we consider most useful to travellers, regardless of whether a commission is available.
Invitations, complimentary access and experiences offered by third parties
Businesses or organisations may occasionally offer tickets, meals, accommodation, tours or other experiences for review.
Accepting complimentary access does not guarantee editorial coverage or a positive review.
When an experience has been provided free of charge and that information is relevant to understanding the context of an evaluation, it may be disclosed in the content.
Use of artificial intelligence
Salvador Insider may use artificial-intelligence tools to support certain stages of editorial work.
These tools may assist with tasks such as:
- organising information;
- preliminary research;
- translation;
- content structuring;
- text review;
- analysis of large volumes of data or references.
Editorial responsibility
The use of artificial intelligence does not remove our editorial responsibility.
Important factual information should be verified before publication, especially when it involves prices, opening hours, safety, transport, official rules or other information capable of directly affecting a visitor's experience.
We do not consider an answer produced by artificial intelligence to be a primary source. When necessary, information must be confirmed using independent and reliable sources.
Translations
Salvador Insider may make content available in different languages for international visitors.
We aim to preserve not only the meaning of the information but also the cultural context needed to understand it.
Some Brazilian, Bahian, religious, culinary or cultural terms may be kept in their original language when a literal translation would reduce or distort their meaning. In those cases, we aim to explain the term to the reader.
Diversity and cultural respect
Salvador has an identity deeply connected to Afro-Brazilian culture, African-diaspora religions, Brazilian colonial history and a wide range of communities and cultural expressions.
We treat these subjects as essential parts of the city, not as exotic curiosities for tourist consumption.
We aim to use respectful terminology, appropriate historical context and reliable sources when addressing cultural, religious and social subjects.
We also aim to represent different types of visitors and experiences whenever that is relevant to the content.
Restaurants, hotels and other businesses
The presence of a business on Salvador Insider does not constitute a permanent guarantee of quality, safety, availability or operation.
Businesses change management, menus, prices, staff and service standards. Recommendations may therefore be revised or removed over time.
We do not charge businesses to be considered editorially for our guides.
User reviews and external platforms
We may consider reviews published on external platforms as one of the signals used in our research.
Ratings and rankings are not treated in isolation as proof of quality.
Reviews may contain outdated information, individual experiences, manipulation or criteria very different from our own. Whenever possible, we consider context, consistency and recency before using this information.
Updating our content
Salvador Insider content is reviewed periodically according to its relevance and likelihood of change.
Some subjects require more frequent updates than others. Information about transport, prices, events, business operations and attraction rules generally requires more frequent verification than historical or cultural content.
Whenever possible, we may indicate the publication date or the date of the most recent relevant update.
Our commitment
Salvador Insider exists to make Salvador easier to understand and better to explore.
We do not intend to replace the experience of discovering the city for yourself. We want that discovery to be better informed.
Our editorial commitment is to provide content that is:
- useful;
- clear;
- independent;
- verifiable;
- updated whenever reasonably possible;
- respectful of Salvador and the people who live here.
When in doubt
When we do not know something, we prefer to check.
When uncertainty exists, we prefer to say so.
And when we get something wrong, we prefer to correct it.
A trip already provides enough surprises without the guide inventing additional ones.