TripAdvisor will no longer sell tickets to attractions that include direct contact with wild animals or endangered species following a change in company policy.
The travel website has said the decision, which will affect hundreds of animal attractions worldwide, including but not limited to elephant rides, petting tigers, and swim with dolphin attractions.
In addition to the change in policy, TripAdvisor will also partner with a number of trade groups, conservation organisations, academic experts, tourism experts, and animal welfare groups to launch of a new education portal. Working with the likes of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Global Wildlife Conservation and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the new initiative will help inform travellers about the standards of care for wild, captive, and endangered species in tourism and their interactions with tourists, and their impact on wildlife conservation.
“The portal will provide links and information on animal welfare practices, helping travellers to write more informed reviews about their experience, and to be aware of opinions that exist on the conservation implications and benefits of some tourism attractions,” said a statement. “In turn, TripAdvisor believes that better reviews will enable travellers to make more informed booking decisions and improve standards of animal care in tourism worldwide.”
While some attractions will cease booking through TripAdvisor immediately, the company plans to have both the educational portal and booking policy changes fully-launched and implemented by early 2017.
Viator – TripAdvisor’s booking service – says for several years it has prohibited travel bookings where wild animals are “killed or injured for blood sport”. TripAdvisor has already banned reviews for businesses promoting attractions such as bullfights or captive hunts. The new policy does have some exemptions, such as horseback riding and children's petting zoos, as well as aquariums, zoos or sanctuaries where there is supervised physical animal interaction.
For companies affected by the change in policy, TripAdvisor has said that if they can provide evidence that they are in-policy, there will be an appeals process to re-establish ticket sales to certain experiences that may have been excluded.
“The new booking policy and education effort is designed as a means to do our part in helping improve the health and safety standards of animals, especially in markets with limited regulatory protections,” said Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO of TripAdvisor.
“At the same time, we want to celebrate those destinations and attractions that are leaders in caring for animals and those in the tourism industry who help further the cause of animal welfare, conservation and the preservation of endangered species. We want to thank the dozens of trade groups, academics and nongovernmental organisations who helped us design our path forward as a company.”
