TripAdvisor will no longer be selling tickets to wild and endangered animal attractions outside of zoos and aquariums which will still be available as normal. Popular examples include of attractions they will no longer associate with include swimming with dolphins, riding elephants, and petting tigers.
Their decision comes after months and talking with different animal welfare groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is the first time that an online tourism booking operation has made this sort of a decision.
The attractions can still be listed in the review area of the site, but TripAdvisor will no longer sell the actual tickets. The company’s chief marketing officer Barbara Messing spoke out about the decision.
“There are some areas that I think every one of these groups we spoke with would agree on, and there are some that are not universally agreed upon. We just had to […] come to our own conclusions internally about what makes sense for us.”
One 2015 study found that two to four million people each year visit tourist spots that have questionable animal welfare practices in place without knowing.
