Webjet supports a more wildlife-friendly future
News
Webjet – one of Australia’s largest online travel agencies – has communicated their plans to develop an animal welfare policy in collaboration with World Animal Protection.
In the last few months over 4,000 passionate supporters wrote to Webjet to voice their concerns about the company offering low-welfare animal activities like elephant rides, orca shows and tiger selfies on their website.
We welcome Webjet’s plans to develop an animal welfare policy, and we’re excited to be collaborating with them on this important piece of work.
This represents positive progress toward reducing the availability of low-welfare animal experiences and activities offered through their third-party site.
While Webjet is still partnered with Klook, who promote multiple low-welfare venues, Webjet’s recent actions reflect a more responsible role in promoting wildlife-friendly travel.
Webjet said:
"During the year, we became aware that a third-party provider used by Webjet to offer 'Activities' through its platform included options that did not meet acceptable standards of animal welfare. Once brought to our attention, we requested the immediate removal of these activities from our website. We are continuing to review all activity offerings in collaboration with the third-party provider to ensure that any low-animal-welfare options are no longer listed on our platform and to help prevent similar issues in the future.
"Importantly, we are now actively working with World Animal Protection towards developing and implementing an animal welfare policy to guide future partnerships and uphold the quality and responsibility of experiences available through our platform.”
This development follows our ‘Web of Cruelty’ report released in February, which highlighted the activities and experiences listed on Webjet’s website that were linked to low-welfare animal venues around the world.
Also recently, our partners at shareholder activism platform ‘SIX’, launched their own campaign calling on Webjet’s investors to use their influence for good.
While early in the process, this step reinforces that travel companies can move towards a wildlife-friendly future while still offering unforgettable and meaningful experiences for travellers to learn about the natural world.
As a traveller, you can help wild animals by only supporting travel companies that:
1. Have a wildlife-friendly policy; and
2. Don’t promote or sell captive entertainment or close encounters with wildlife.
With you by our side, we will continue working to lobby Klook, GetYourGuide, Traveloka, Trip.com, and TUI Musement to not only adopt animal welfare policies but enforce these policies to protect wildlife.
Together, we’re ending the exploitation of animals for entertainment. Forever.
Be an animal friendly traveller
Right now, captive wild animals are being exploited for profit and entertainment. Will you be an Animal Friendly Traveller?
Become a Responsible Travel Company
9 out of 10 Aussies think travel companies must do away with harmful wildlife tourism activities. Here’s how we can help you become wildlife friendly.