Travel giant Expedia has banned the sale of ‘cruel’ holidays involving dolphins and whales, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The move follows calls, led by public figures such as Joanna Lumley and the Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, for an end to holidaymakers swimming with captive creatures or watching them perform tricks.
Now campaigners are hoping that others will do the same.
Confirming the decision, a spokesman for Expedia, whose website is visited about 3.3 million times a month by Britons, said: ‘We prohibit activities that feature interactions with or performances by dolphins, whales and other cetaceans.
The move follows calls, led by public figures such as Joanna Lumley and the Prime Minister’s wife Carrie Johnson, for an end to holidaymakers swimming with captive creatures or watching them perform tricks
‘Seaside sanctuaries that provide captive animals with a permanent seaside living environment are allowed if they are accredited and do not feature interactions or performances.’
Katheryn Wise, UK campaigns manager at charity World Animal Protection, said: ‘This is amazing news and something that we have been campaigning for since 2019.
‘More than 350,000 supporters joined us in signing petitions, raising awareness online and hitting the streets to ask Expedia to make this change.
‘We are so pleased that they have listened.’
She added: ‘Through sales and promotion, travel companies play a huge role in driving captive dolphin entertainment and, as one of the largest travel companies in the world, we are delighted that Expedia is making a stand.’
Travel giant Expedia has banned the sale of ‘cruel’ holidays involving dolphins and whales, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Now campaigners are hoping that others companies will follow the example of Expedia.
Dolphin entertainment, according to the animal welfare charity, is animal cruelty that masquerades as family fun. The animals also suffer from poor mental and physical health in captivity.
There used to be 30 UK dolphinariums. However, after an effort by Born Free to increase public support, the UK’s last remaining captive attraction closed its doors in 2003.
However, many families still travel abroad to see the creatures – more than 3,000 dolphins are kept in captivity around the world. Expedia had some partnerships with 50 locations that housed 600 or more dolphins prior to the ban.
TripAdvisor’s reviews have stopped encouraging such vacations and the Government has announced that they will ban UK-based companies advertising elephant-riding holiday.