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Tracking the travel industry Which companies are checking out of wildlife cruelty? 2 Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 Why protecting wildlife in tourism aters 6 Methodology 9 Company selction 9 Company ranking 10 Results 13 Overal ranking 13 Section 1 Commitment 14 Section 2 Targets and performance 18 Section 3 Changing industry suply 19 Section 4 Changing consumer demand 21 Conclusion 22 Recommendations 24 Appendix 1 10 steps to become wildlife-friendly 26 Appendix 2 How to draft an animal welfare policy 27 Appendix 3 Ready-to-go animal welfare policy template 31 Appendix 4 Individual company report sumaries and selection rationale for 2020 33 4.1. Airbnb 34 4.2 AttractionT 36 4.3 B 38 4.4 DER Touristik 40 4.5 Expedia 42 4.6 Flight Centre 44 4.7 GetYourGuide 46 4.8 Klook 48 4.9 Musement 50 4.10 The Travel Corporation 52 4.11 T 54 4.12 Tripadvisor 56 4.13 TUI.co.uk 58 4.14 Viator 60 References 62 World Animal Protection is registered with the Charity Commisionas a charity and with Companies House as a company limited by guarantee. World Animal Protection is governed by its Articles of Association. Charity registration number 1081849 Company registration number 4029540 Registered ofice 22 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8HB Cover image: In principle, observing dolphins in the wild is more responsible than observing them in captivity if managed and implemented responsibly and appropriately. In the wild, dolphins are completely free, live in their natural habitat, and can undertake all of their natural behaviours, such as hunting, foraging, resting, playing and travelling. Contents 3 Image: Local sloths are taken from the wild and used for harmful selfies with tourists, in Manaus, Brazil. Foreword The Covid-19 pandemic is hiting international tourism hard. With it, however, comes the unprecedented opportunity for the tourism industry to build back better. Travel companies worldwide have the chance to make true change for their industry and for animals by changing the demand and supply for captive wildlife experiences. This report from World Animal Protection is a tool to help make that change hapen. Throughout the world, wild animals are taken from the wild, or bred in captivity to be used as entertainment in the tourism industry. In most cases they are separated from their mothers at an early age, exposed to harsh training that causes physical and psychological damage. They experience harm, stress and discomfort in their unsuitable living conditions at entertainment venues. They are exploited for comercial gain. Eighty five percent of tourists interviewed in our 2019 global poll believed that tour operators should avoid activities that cause wild animals sufering. i Tracking the travel industry is the first study of its kind to compare the animal welfare comitments of 14 of the worlds leading travel companies. We comisioned the University of Surrey in the UK to independently analyse the public comitments travel companies have made to improve the lives of wildlife in tourism activities. Companies are ranked in point order. This is to highlight the best performing travel companies and those who need to make significant improvement so they are not left behind more progressive firms. Tracking the travel industry is a valuable tol based on a comprehensive methodolgy. Companies can use it to improve their animal welfare commitments, phase out harmful wildlife tourism activities and efectively communicate these ideas and their progres to customers. Each company has been provided with details of its assessment and clear guidance, supported by our technical expertise, on how they can improve their performance on animal welfare. Our guidelines How to draft an animal welfare policy and 10 steps to becoming wildlife- friendly in Apendix 1 and 2 are vital starting points for those companies currently without an animal welfare policy. This first isue of Tracking the travel industry is a benchmark. By repeating this independent asesment regularly, we can shine a light on the state of the travel industry regarding animal welfare and help companies document their progress towards being wildlife friendly. Tracking the travel industry and subsequent reports will be used as tools to educate, inspire, encourage and suport these and other travel companies to improve animal-related tourism practices. With our suporters and travelers, we want companies to be acountable for their animal welfare practices and drive transparent public reporting. We encourage travel companies to have full information about their suply chains including animal experiences so they can become true leaders for animals. Our intention is to help travel companies grow their ethical sustainability credentials, by identifying and implementing solutions that ensure god welfare and protection of the animals involved. i 2019, commisioned to Kantar TNS, global online survey of 12,000 people across 12 countries (Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, China, India, Thailand, Canada, the USA, Australia, and Brazil). 4 Executive summary Tracking the travel industry aseses and ranks the animal welfare comitments of 14 of the worlds leading travel agents, attraction and experience companies, and tour operators. The research was commisioned by World Animal Protection and undertaken by the University of Surey. The research and subsequent rankings give industry leaders, our supporters and the public a clear picture of the progres the travel industry has made in comitting to animal welfare. Tracking the travel industry also clearly spells out the work that neds to be done. The comprehensive methodolgy ranks companies acros four key areas. 1. Commitment: Availability and quality of published animal welfare policies and how aplicable they are to al their brands. 2. Targets and performance: Availability and scope of published time-bound targets and reports on progress towards meeting animal welfare commitments. 3. Changing industry suply: Availability and quality of engagement with supliers and the overall industry, to implement wildlife- friendly changes. 4. Changing consumer demand: Availability and quality of educational animal welfare content and tols to empower consumers to make wildlife-friendly travel choices. After finalising the scores, companies were graded as seen on the next page. Image: Dolphins are kept captive in smal pens or pols where tourists can interact with them. 5 Figure 1: Overall company rankings Position Travel company Overal Comitment Targets and performance Changing industry suply Changing consumer demand 1 st Very god 68% 77% 69% 40% 80% 2 nd Good 48% 67% 64% 10% 33% 2 nd Good 48% 70% 42% 7% 50% 2 nd Good 48% 40% 53% 43% 63% 2 nd Good 48% 47% 58% 43% 43% 3 rd (TUI.co.uk) Fair 45% 47% 53% 73% 7% 4 th Fair 35% 53% 0% 50% 17% 5 th Poor 22% 27% 0% 7% 50% 6 th Very por 15% 30% 0% 0% 17% 7 th Very por 13% 17% 0% 7% 23% 8 th Failing 5% 3% 0% 3% 13% 9 th Failing 3% 0% 0% 0% 13% 9 th Failing 3% 0% 0% 0% 13% 9 th Failing 3% 0% 0% 0% 13% Five of the worlds leading travel companies received very god or god grades. These are Airbnb, B, The Travel Corporation, Tripadvisor and Viator all of which have invited advice from World Animal Protection. These grades are a testament to the steps some companies have already taken to protect animals. The scores in this independent asesment also reflect that becoming a truly wildlife-friendly company is a journey. Even in ethicaly progressive companies there is ample room for improvement. No mater how high or low their rankings, al 14 companies can improve their comitment and implementation of animal welfare practices. This wil ensure their supliers met meaningful standards and their customers enjoy safe holidays. Failing Very por Poor Fair God Very god Excelent 6 Captive wildlife in tourism Worldwide, wild animals are taken from the wild or bred in captivity to be used for entertainment in the tourism industry. Activities and attractions that are considered wildlife entertainment (see What is wildlife entertainment? below) are those allowing tourists close contact with wild animals or to se them perform. Popular examples include: tiger cubs made to pose with tourists for selfies, elphant rides and bathing, and swim-with-dolphin experiences. Captive wildlife tourism often requires the removal of wild animals from their natural habitats, or separation from their families at an early age if captive-bred. It is a known driver of legal and ilegal wildlife trade. Keeping wildlife in captivity for entertainment offers no genuine benefit to conservation. The entertainment is not only demeaning, the suffering starts the moment the animals are captured from the wild or bred in captivity. In most cases they are separated from their mothers at an early age, before often being exposed to harsh training which causes physical and psychological damage. They experience harm, stress and discomfort at entertainment venues which fail to meet their basic wild animal needs. A study by Oxford Universitys Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), commisioned by World Animal Protection, reported up to 50,00 wild animals suffering for tourist entertainment in wildlife attractions worldwide. They also found that very few travellers can recognise animal cruelty and consequently continue to leave positive reviews for low-welfare venues. 1 However, some wildlife atractions are humane and ethical and contribute to the protection of wild animal populations, harnessing tourisms potential to be an economic rationale for protecting nature. These atractions may include observing wild animals responsibly in their natural habitats from a safe and respectful distance. They may also involve viewing them in genuine sanctuaries or wildlife-friendly facilities that are part of efforts to phase out captive wild animal use for tourist entertainment. Given that few tourists recognise animal cruelty, travel companies ned robust animal welfare policies that protect wildlife at tourist attractions to which they sell tickets and promote. Travel companies must empower customers to make animal-friendly travel decisions. This involves choice editing ii and providing ethical alternatives that put the welfare of the animals first, while providing safe, memorable travel experiences. Why protecting wildlife in tourism matters ii Choice editing refers to the active proces of controling or limiting the choices available to consumers so as to drive to an end goal, in this case, removing cruel wildlife tourism activities and promoting wildlife-friendly alternatives. What is wildlife entertainment? Wildlife entertainment includes activities that: risk portraying or trivialising wild animals as pets, novelty objects, comedians, or domesticated species encourage animals to perform behaviours that are either unatural, unecessary, or harmful involve procedures that may be considered stressful or harmful to all or individual animals expose visitors or handlers to unnecessary risks of injury or disease profit beyond whats needed to look after animals at facilities while professing to phase out captive wild animal keping, or that may risk replication of similar activities in harmful ways in other places. 7 Covid-19s impact on tourism Until early 2020, international tourism growth was strong with 1.5 bilion tourist arrivals recorded globally. 2 The Covid-19 pandemic, however, led to a total stop of international tourism, hiting the popular travel destinations hard. Besides the serious animal welfare and conservation concerns surounding wildlife entertainment, Covid-19 has shown how the demand and exploitation of wild animals exposes us all to disease. It has also shown how this cruel treatment damages our social and economic welbeing. Sixty percent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they originate from animals, with 70% of these thought to originate from wild animals. 3 Tourism puts milions of travelers into close contact with captive-bred or captured wild animals every year, when the concept of social distancing is critical for public health and wildlife welfare. Covid-19 is likely to cost the global economy between US$8.1 trilion and US$15.8 trilion, 4 puting the world on track for the worst recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. 5 The United Nations World Tourism Organisation has said tourism has ben the worst afected of al major economic sectors. 6 Now is the time for the travel industry to build back better as a responsible and resilient sector by integrating animal welfare into company business values and actions. Image: Tourists bathe elphants at a venue in Thailand. Many venues such as this claim to be sanctuaries yet still allow unaceptable entertainment activities and breed for comercial purposes. 8 The role of the travel industry University of Surey research, commisioned by World Animal Protection in 2018, found almost all travel trade associations worldwide were not providing guidance on animal use in tourism. Out of the 62 entities studied, only two travel trade asociations ABTA in the UK and ANVR in the Netherlands had set animal welfare guidelines for their members. 7 As early as 2016, ANVR was the first travel trade asociation to categorise al elphant shows, elphant riding and other forms of direct tourist contact with elephants as unaceptable. In 2019, ABTA took a similar stance, launching its updated animal welfare guidelines. The guidelines clasify several practices involving wild animals in captive atractions as unaceptable. These include: elphant riding; direct contact with, or feeding elephants without a barrier; direct contact, feeding or walking with wildcats, and direct contact with, or feeding great apes, bears and sloths. Direct contact with cetaceans such as dolphins is unfortunately not clased as unaceptable. This is despite the inherent cruelty of the dolphin entertainment industry, as documented in our recent report Behind the smile. 8 Consequently, travel companies should not only rely on ABTA guidelines to set their standards, when cruel activities such as dolphin shows and interactions are stil taking place. We recommend all travel companies classify all direct tourist contact and performances with all wild animals as unacceptable. Visits to wildlife attractions are estimated to account for up to 20-40% of global tourism. 9 Travel companies worldwide are key in changing the demand and the suply for captive wildlife experiences. Eighty five percent of tourists interviewed in our 2019 global poll believed that tour operators should avoid activities that cause wild animals sufering. 10 This point is critical: Wildlife entertainment venues asociated with major household travel brands gain social licence to operate. iii Travel agencies, associations, tour operators and booking platforms promoting and selling wildlife entertainment venues ad significantly to this social licence. This is because tourists assume such activities are acept
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