United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
TripAdvisor will ban ticket sales of some animal attractions
Sunday, 12 Oct, 2016
0
TripAdvisor has announced it will stop promoting and selling attractions that offer experiences with wild animals or endangered species held in captivity.
These include activities such as elephant rides, swimming with dolphins and tiger petting which have previously been sold on its activities service Viator.
TripAdvisor has also set up a wildlife tourism information portal, in collaboration with animal welfare groups to make site users more aware of animal welfare issues.
"We believe the end result of our efforts will be enabling travelers to make more thoughtful choices about whether to visit an animal attraction and to write more meaningful reviews about those attractions," said TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer.
The new policy will be fully implemented by early 2017 and affected service providers will be able to appeal any blacklisting to prove they can adhere to the new policy.
Tickets for zoos and aquariums will still be available to book along with certain voluntourism projects at animal reserves.
TripAdvisor spent several months in consultation with animal welfare groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Global Wildlife Conservation to devise the new policy.
"TripAdvisor is a leader in the industry and we understand and applaud that this is a precedent-setting move," Stephanie Shaw, corporate liason officer at PETA.
"TripAdvisor’s competitors and others within the travel industry will take note of this, and we hope and expect that many other companies will follow."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Walt Leger on New Orleans’ Resilience and Major Events Ahead
Cindy Mackin Shares Estes Park’s Winter Thrills
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Report: Cruise guest died after ship lashed in heavy storm
British teen in serious condition after paraglider collision
JetBlue scraps London Gatwick flights