Kuoni parent stops selling excursions to dolphin and whale attractions – Travel Gossip
Kuoni parent DERTOUR Group has confirmed it will no longer take clients to attractions involving whales, dolphins and other marine mammals from this month.
The company said its decision followed ‘a comprehensive review’ of its animal-related products.
Director of Corporate Responsibility Laura Steden said: ”From there, internal discussions evolved into broader conversations with tourism partners and animal welfare experts.
“These exchanges revealed a growing consensus: experiences that involve direct contact with marine mammals or encourage unnatural behaviours no longer align with the values we want to uphold.”
As a result, DERTOUR will no longer offer activities that involve direct contact between humans and marine mammals, such as swimming with dolphins, shows involving trained performances, or any experience that requires marine mammals to leave the water or encourage ‘unnatural behaviours’.
“This decision builds on our commitment to animal welfare, which is secured in our binding animal welfare policy,” added Laura.
“We want to ensure that all our offerings meet the highest standards of animal welfare. This also means we do not support attractions that contradict the natural needs and behaviours of marine mammals.
“Instead, we’ll focus on respectful wildlife observation and support conservation efforts through the DERTOUR Foundation.”
In the UK, DERTOUR brands include Carrier, Kuoni, CV Villas, Journey Latin America and Jules Verne, Kirker, Solmar Villas, and the recently-acquired Inghams, Explore Worldwide, Inntravel and Santa’s Lapland.
Its decision to stop selling excursions to marine mammal attractions leaves TUI as one of the only major UK travel companies to continue featuring them.
The operator has been frequently targeted by animal rights campaigners, who recently disrupted the ABTA Travel Convention by invading the stage during a panel discussion involving TUI UK Managing Director Neil Swanson.
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