Premier Holidays has confirmed it will stop selling tickets to SeaWorld after pressure from animal welfare campaign group PETA.
The operator said it made the decision after PETA told it how orcas, dolphins, and other marine animals suffer when they’re confined to cramped concrete tanks.
It said ban extends to all other parks that confines these creatures ‘in the name of entertainment’.
"Premier Holidays has officially rejected marine-mammal prisons like SeaWorld, where sensitive, complex, naturally far-ranging aquatic animals are kept in cramped tanks," says PETA director of corporate projects Yvonne Taylor.
"No travel provider should profit from cruelty to animals, and PETA urges TUI – which is still giving a financial lifeline to SeaWorld – to follow Premier Holidays’ lead."
British Airways Holidays, Virgin Holidays, STA Travel, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor have already stopped promoting SeaWorld.
A spokesman for Seaworld said: "Even though Premier Holidays was not a contracted partner with SeaWorld, it is disappointing to see Premier Holidays succumb to pressure from animal activists who mislead and manipulate marine animal science to advance their agendas.
"Animal welfare standards at SeaWorld Parks are amongst the highest in the world. We are accredited and certified by the world’s foremost zoological bodies and received a 100% pass in the independent audit carried out in accordance with the ABTA animal welfare guidelines for animals in tourism."
