Virgin Holidays has announced that it will be no longer selling packages and tickets to SeaWorld .
Sir Richard Branson 's travel firm has revealed it has decided to stop sales and promotion of captive cetacean (whale and dolphin) attractions which includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove.
Joe Thompson, Managing Director of Virgin Holidays explained that the brand is looking to offer holidaymakers "more natural, at-distance encounters with these animals".
He later added that the holiday giant will be looking to "focus our efforts on encouraging customers to see these creatures in the wild", while also continuing to "support the development of sanctuaries for whales and dolphins currently in captivity".
The move comes after research from the brand showed that 92 per cent of UK holidaymakers said they would prefer to see animals in their natural habitat.
However it's not the first time that Virgin Holidays has looked to finding alternatives to attractions which feature animals in captivity.
The wider pledge follows on from an initial move from the company in 2014 when it first committed to working only with facilities which did not take animals from the wild.
In 2017 the firm went a step further and looked to offer customers alternative encounters with animals in a natural environment.
That included committing to not signing up any new attractions featuring captive whales and dolphins for entertainment purposes, working with existing partners to evolve their products, creating coastal sanctuaries for whales and dolphins, promoting responsible wild whale and dolphin watching and sanctuary-based experiences, and supporting international co-operation to end the capture of wild cetaceans.
In fact, the company has already invested $100,000 to support the National Aquarium’s pioneering project, in Baltimore, USA, to relocate their captive dolphins to a bigger, more natural coastal sanctuary, set to open in 2021.
Other efforts include partnering with the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) to promote its Guidelines for Responsible Whale and Dolphin Watching.
The company has also committed to have all its tour operators certified against WCA standards by the end of 2021.
A spokesperson for SeaWorld told Mirror Online: "It is disappointing to see Virgin Holidays succumb to pressure from animal activists who mislead and manipulate marine mammal science to advance their agendas.
"Virgin’s own corporate mission is having a measurable purpose that positively impacts communities and the environment. SeaWorld is the epitome of that mission.
"With more than 35,000 animal rescues and decades of meaningful scientific contributions, we are proud to be a recognized global leader in marine mammal science, education and, in particular, providing preeminent care to all of our marine mammals.
"With rising threats to our oceans and their inhabitants, supporting independently accredited zoological facilities is more important than ever. No company does more to protect marine mammals and advance cetacean research, rescue and conservation than SeaWorld."
Virgin Holidays isn't the only travel giant to be making the move away from attractions with captive animals.
Last year Thomas Cook announced it would be axing all trips to theme parks where killer whales are kept captive – including top attractions SeaWorld and Loro Parque.