British Airways has stopped selling tickets to SeaWorld after Virgin Holidays and other travel firms dropped ‘cruel’ tourist attractions
BRITISH Airways will no longer sell tickets to attractions such as SeaWorld which feature animals including whales and dolphins in seemingly cramped enclosures.
The news comes just weeks after Virgin Holidays announced a similar move.
British Airways made the announcement following a new long-term partnership between the airline and leading international wildlife charity Born Free.
British Airways Holidays has been working with Born Free over the last year to develop a new animal welfare strategy, which launched on Thursday.
The strategy sees the travel company commit to never promoting the captivity of wild animals and discouraging its hotel partners from doing so.
From now on all attractions where captive wild animals are central to the attraction have been removed from its website, BA.com.
While it will continue to offer customers the opportunity to book rooms in certain hotels that keep wild animals onsite, customers will not be able to book tickets for any animal attractions through British Airways Holidays.
These hotels will be clearly labelled as keeping wild animals onsite in captivity to allow customers to make an informed choice when booking their holiday.
Claire Bentley, Managing Director of British Airways Holidays said: "Our customers tell us they have concerns about wild animals being kept in captivity, and increasingly see animal performances in particular as outdated.
"We are delighted to have worked with Born Free to develop our new strategy which allows our customers to make more informed choices and we are contacting all our hotel and attraction partners about our new approach."
However, the boss of SeaWorld accused British Airways Holidays of "succumbing to pressure" from activists, according to Travel Weekly.
SeaWorld CEO Gus Antorcha told Sun Online Travel in a statement: "When radical animal rights activists mislead and manipulate the truth to the detriment of our planet’s critically endangered animals, you have to question their motives.
"Pressuring companies and trying to shame them into cutting ties with independently accredited zoos and aquariums works against the vital research and conservation work to protect these animals.
"We are disappointed that British Airways Holidays succumbed to pressure from animal activists and changed its policy given the facts."
Some non-profit organisations such as the British & Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) have spoken out in support of SeaWorld.
They said in an open letter: "This community of organisations, where evidence-based animal welfare, education and conservation is at the forefront at all times, is deeply concerned by the imminent publication of the British Airways Holidays’ (BA Holidays) Animal Welfare Strategy, and its stipulation that BA Holidays will no longer book packages to animal-based destinations.
"Whilst it may have been well-intentioned as part of your broader Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, your proposed Animal Welfare Strategy will actually limit opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience these valuable connections to the natural world through our Associations’ zoos and aquariums. Ultimately, it will prevent them having an opportunity to learn."
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The new policy is being announced at the same time as Born Free launches its new global online alert system, giving customers the opportunity to report captive animal suffering.
Dr. Chris Draper, Head of Animal Welfare & Captivity, at Born Free said: "We are delighted that as part of our new and exciting partnership, British Airways Holidays has committed to supporting both the creation of a new sanctuary space for rescued wild animals and to support our new initiative Raise the Red Flag.
Conservationists such as Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) was among groups that applauded BA's decision.
They said: "WDC met with BA representatives to present scientific evidence that these creatures are not suited to life in tanks, and also presented over 300,000 public signatures to our petition asking the airline to stop selling the tickets that helped fund the cruel whale and dolphin captivity industry.
"The announcement represents another huge success for WDC’s ongoing campaign to stop tour operators promoting and supporting the captivity industry and follows shortly after Virgin Holidays, another WDC campaign target, announced it is also dropping SeaWorld."
WDC’s campaign film, A letter to Richard Branson, made media headlines and has been watched by over 100,000 people on YouTube.
An immediate instruction to Virgin Holidays by Sir Richard followed, stopping work with any aquarium or theme park that continued to capture whales and dolphins from the wild or import whales and dolphins taken from the wild.
Joe Thompson, Virgin Holidays' managing director said at the time: "Virgin Holidays has decided to stop selling and promoting captive cetacean (whale and dolphin) experiences, as we look to focus on offering customers more natural, at-distance encounters with these animals.
"This decision means that we will be ending our long term partnerships with the likes of SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and other similar facilities."
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