Embargoed on January 16, 2023 at 00:01 London — Companies like TUI Musement, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, AttractionTickets.com and Jet2holidays are QUIETExploitation of wildlife for profit despite 84%1 of British citizens believe tour operators should not sell activities that cause wildlife harm, according to a report World Animal Protection.
Elephant rides, selfies with tiger cubs, and swimming with dolphins were some of the gruesome wildlife activities these travel brands offer, according to the Really responsible Traveller Report. The study reviewed 9 leading travel companies for their commitment to animal welfare and pet-friendly tourism, with the goal of helping vacationers plan a pet-friendly vacation.
Thousands of wild animals are forced each year to perform for tourist entertainment or be the subject of tourist “experiences” that are incredibly unnatural and stressful to them. For example, in entertainment, elephants are captured in the wild or born in captivity and taken from their mothers at an early age. They are then subjected to violent training programs that cause great physical and psychological harm.
Dolphins used for entertainment are mostly bred in captivity (although some are still taken from the wild) and kept in sterile tanks that represent a tiny fraction of their natural range, causing great distress to these wonderful animals.
Traveling responsibly means never including wildlife entertainment or captive experiences in your itinerary and refusing to book your vacation with travel companies that claim to offer responsible, sustainable travel while continuing to benefit from wildlife exploitation. The report also highlights the travel companies that have taken significant, positive steps for wildlife in recent years, including Airbnb and Booking.com. Expedia has improved in some areas after it stopped selling captive dolphin entertainment in 2021.
Katheryn Wise, World Animal Protection, Wildlife Campaign Manager said: “Vacationers have made it clear; They don’t want tour companies to sell animal suffering, but the reality is that suffering is still sold under the guise of entertainment. Who you book your holiday with is important. TUI Musement, Jet2holidays, GetYourGuide Trip.com and Attraction Tickets.com STILL use captive wildlife.
“World Animal Protection is asking responsible travelers to join us and challenge these companies to do better for animals. Truly responsible travelers have the power to take action and create lasting change for wild animals by refusing to support corporations to do so quiet treat wild animals as commodities that they can exploit for profit.
“For more information on how you can make a difference, visit our Real Responsible Travel page at www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/real-responsible-traveller.
“We are also calling on the UK Government to take action by passing the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which is due for its second parliamentary reading on 3 February. This important law aims to stop the sale and promotion of activities abroad that involve low animal welfare standards.”
the Really responsible Travelright The report builds on World Animal Protection 2020 Travel industry tracking Report reviewing Airbnb, AttractionTickets.com, Booking.com, DER Touristik, Expedia, Flight Centre, GetYourGuide, Klook, The Travel Corporation, Viator, Trip.com and TUI Musement.
World Animal Protection commissioned the University of Surrey to conduct an independent analysis of the public commitments made and not made by travel companies.
Companies were rated in four key areas:
- Engagement: Availability and quality of published animal welfare policies and how applicable they are to all of their brands
- Goals and performance: Availability and scope of published time-bound targets and reports on progress towards meeting animal welfare commitments
- Changing range of branches: Availability and quality of engagement with suppliers and the wider industry to implement animal-friendly change
- Changed consumer demand: Availability and quality of animal welfare educational content and tools to empower consumers to make wildlife-friendly travel decisions
World Animal Protection then checked if they offered any of the five “animal attractions”:
- Riding, feeding and washing elephants
- Feed or pet primates
- Selfies, shows, petting or walking the big cats
- Swimming with captive dolphins and dolphin shows
- Selling interactive “experiences” featuring captive wildlife (including, for example, sea lions, crocodiles, and alligators)
Click here for more information on industry best practices and how travelers can communicate their concerns to travel companies here.
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references
- World Animal Protection commissioned Savanta to conduct a global online survey of 23,726 people in 15 countries (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Spain, South Africa, Kenya, China, India, Thailand, Canada, USA, Australia) in 2022 ). , and Brazil) on their attitude towards wildlife used in the tourism industry
Notes for editors:
Images can be downloaded here.
- World Animal Protection has ranked travel companies by their international reach and country/region operations as follows:
- International: GetYourGuide, Klook, Trip.com, Traveloka, TUI Musement
- UNITED KINGDOM: TUI Musement, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, AttractionTickets.com, Jet2holidays, Expedia, Airbnb, Booking.com, Tripadvisor
- Denmark and Sweden: GetYourGuide, Trip.com, TUI Museum
- India: Traveloka, Trip.com, TUI Musement, Yatra, MakeMyTrip, Club Mahindra
- Brazil: GetYourGuide, CVC, Decolar
- Canada:GetYourGuide, Trip.com, Groupon
Information on tour operators according to website research in September 2022.
The University of Surrey assessment took place in June 2022.
- World Animal Protection has been persuading the travel industry to stop selling wildlife entertainment for more than a decade. Initially we focused on closing deals on elephant rides and shows and after successfully shifting Tripadvisor and other big brands we expanded our focus to captive dolphins in 2019 and have since added Expedia, Virgin Holidays, Booking.com and others to hire captive dolphins and/or sell elephants and become wildlife friendly.
- We encourage travel companies to have full information about their supply chains, including animal experiences, so they can become true animal pioneers. Our intention is to help travel companies improve their ethical sustainability credentials by identifying and implementing solutions that ensure the good welfare and protection of the animals involved.
World Animal Protection
World Animal Protection is the global voice for animal welfare and has been campaigning for a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering for more than 70 years.
We have offices in 12 countries and work in 47 countries. We work with local communities, the private sector, civil society and governments to change the lives of animals for the better.
Our goal is to change the way the world works to end animal cruelty and suffering for wild and farm animals. Through our global food systems strategy, we will end factory farming and create a humane and sustainable food system that puts animals first. By transforming the broken systems that fuel exploitation and commercialization, we give wild animals the right to wild lives. Our work to protect animals will play a crucial role in solving the climate catastrophe, the public health crisis and the destruction of natural habitats.
