special report
INTO THE SEA Turning to the marine environment, the complex economic relationship between tourism and animal welfare has been well highlighted. Three years ago, the documentary film, Blackfish, investigated why an orca called Tilikum, housed at SeaWorld Orlando, killed his trainer. In so doing, the film exposed the mental suffering of captive cetaceans. Public opinion shiſted and SeaWorld’s share
value plummeted as the public started to question whether they should be going to such atractions. Last year, SeaWorld announced that the current orcas in its care would be the last: “Times have changed, and we’re changing with them. The killer whales currently in our care will be the last generation of killer whales at SeaWorld. The company will end all orca breeding as of today.” The controversy had already led Virgin
Holidays to pledge that it wouldn’t sign up any new atractions that featured captive whales and dolphins for theatrical shows, or contact sessions such as ‘swim-with’ programmes. The company also said it would support the creation of coastal sanctuaries for whales and dolphins. The CEO of the World Cetacean Alliance, Dylan
Walker, says: “I believe that tourism has the potential to be hugely beneficial to the protection of whales and dolphins, and to the ocean habitats in which they reside. We live in a world in which more and more people want to be in wild places and experience nature close up, but it also presents us with some real challenges, as we seek to meet that increased demand with responsible and sustainable practices.”
SETTING STANDARDS Other tour operators have taken a clearly defined stand over animal welfare for many years. Exodus Travels specifically excludes places that advertise activities like cub peting, walking with lions and elephant riding from its trips. “We fundamentally believe that education is the key to securing animal welfare in the future, and that tourism is well placed to start the conversations locally that may not otherwise occur,” says Megan Devenish, product and responsible tourism manager at Exodus Travels. Equally, Responsible Travel has long put
considerable emphasis on animal welfare. It claims to be the first travel company to publicly announce that it will no longer be promoting trips that include visits to zoos, and has consequently removed six excursions from its website. Etihad Airways has launched a new
comprehensive Animal Welfare and Conservation Policy to ensure its holiday activities and transport operations ‘have a minimal negative impact on animals and their fragile natural habitats’.
TripAdvisor and its Viator brand is launching
a new education portal to help inform travellers about the standards of care for wild, captive, and endangered species in tourism, and will discontinue selling tickets for specific tourism experiences ‘where travellers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species’. All this shows that a huge amount is going
on in the industry. Of course, there’s still work to be done. ABTA’s senior destinations and sustainability manager, Clare Jenkinson, says one of the big challenges is to get consistent industry- wide standards across different countries. But at the top of the list is the need to engage consumers and ensure that they are given the right information to make the right choices.
“MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WANT TO BE IN WILD PLACES BUT IT PRESENTS US WITH REAL CHALLENGES”
countrybycountry.com | ABTA Magazine
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