Partnering with travel companies for better animal welfare
A UK animal welfare charity is working with one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms for better animal welfare.
Wild Welfare is partnering with online travel agent Booking.com, to support the implementation of the company’s animal welfare standards.
Booking.com committed in 2019, to ensuring their partners across the world would meet high standards of animal welfare and Wild Welfare is working with the company in relation to this, to help them improve welfare within the wild animal experiences they offer.
Wild Welfare’s acting UK director, Simon Marsh, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Booking and helping them realise their commitment to animal welfare.
“Wildlife tourism is a massive global market and what we’d like to see is animal welfare being carefully considered for all wild animal experiences on offer to tourists around the world.”
Booking.com recognises its responsibility to ensuring any experiences it offers do not negatively affect animal’s lives and in 2019 they released their statement of commitment and animal welfare standards, developed with animal welfare NGO World Animal Protection, that all their accommodation partners are obliged to meet.
The aim of the standards is to provide guiding principles in how animals can be a part of the tourism experience in a responsible, ethical and respectful way.
Wild Welfare works with captive wild animal facilities across the world and the charity’s experience as animal welfare auditors and animal welfare advisors, means they are well placed to help Booking.com implement their standards in a practical way.
Simon Marsh added, “We welcome the opportunity to work with all travel and tourism companies that want to improve animal welfare within their offers and experiences and be part of a growing movement to ensure wildlife tourism is ethical, welfare—focussed and has animals’ care and well-being at its heart.”
By working with global travel companies Wild Welfare wants to help end future captive animal exploitation within the tourism industry, ensuring activities and experiences involving wildlife are governed by protective policies like the ones developed by Booking.com, ensuring minimal disturbance and increased welfare for animals.
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Notes to Editors
For more information or interview requests please contact Wild Welfare on communications@wildwelfare.org
Wild Welfare is a global organisation committed to improving animal welfare for captive wild animals. By uniting the world’s leading zoos, zoo associations and animal welfare organisations, we build trusting partnerships that help provide long-term solutions to critical wild animal welfare issues.
Our vision is to end the suffering of captive wild animals around the world and ensure full and sustainable protection is given to all animals in human care. Find out more at wildwelfare.org. Registered charity in England and Wales No.1165941.
Image © Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash
