Expedia bans holidays involving “cruel” treatment of dolphins and whales

This is a big move for the company.

Online travel company Expedia has banned all holidays from their website that include "cruel" treatment of dolphins and whales. Expedia has stopped selling any that include performances by captive dolphins and whales, which have been criticised by many over the years. They are not the first to make a move like this, with Virgin Holidays saying in 2019 that they would also no longer be selling tickets to these attractions and experiences. Intrepid Travel also did something similar when they ceased all elephant ride activities in 2014. Abta updated their animal welfare guidelines in January 2020, classing activities with captive elephants and tourist contact or feeding of great apes, bears, crocodiles or alligators, orcas, sloths and wildcats as unacceptable. Expedia said in a statement on Twitter that they have made a change to their animal welfare policy. They said: "We recently adjusted our animal welfare policy. "As a result, attractions and activities that involve performances by or interactions with dolphins and other cetaceans will no longer be available on our sites." They also noted that the change "will take time to implement and we intend to complete the process by early 2022." Wildlife charity World Animal Protection said that they hope that this news will bring more change to the industry. The charity’s Katheryn Wise told Metro: "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 Group are making a stand. "It’s time for other travel giants like TUI to do the right thing and follow suit." An Expedia spokesperson confirmed to the Mail on Sunday that the company will continue to use "seaside sanctuaries that provide captive animals with a permanent seaside living environment’ if these businesses ‘are accredited and do not feature interactions or performances."