Sunweb Group has announced it will no longer sell excursions that feature wild animals used primarily for entertainment, following a review of its activities portfolio and the introduction of stricter animal welfare guidelines.
From 1 March, the travel organisation will stop offering parks and excursions involving animal shows or direct interaction with wild animals.
This includes dolphinarium visits, sea lion shows, and aquariums offering caged shark diving. The decision applies across Sunweb Group brands, including Sunweb and Eliza was here.
The updated policy has been developed in collaboration with World Animal Protection Netherlands and forms part of Sunweb Group’s wider commitment to responsible tourism.
The company says activities that rely on training wild animals for human entertainment often involve fear, stress and other forms of suffering, and do not align with its values.
“Animal suffering does not align with our vision of responsible tourism.” Sunweb Group said in a statement.
Raising awareness of animal welfare
Monique van Agthoven, Head of Sustainability at Sunweb Group, said the company has a responsibility not only to review what it sells, but also to help customers make more informed choices.
“Not every tourist is aware of the suffering behind animal entertainment,” she said. “As a travel organisation, we stand for responsible excursion offerings and have a duty to inform our customers as well as we can about animal welfare. Wild animals should be able to live as much as possible in their natural habitats.”
“Animal suffering and unnatural direct interaction with captive animals, such as wild animal shows and swimming with dolphins, do not align with our vision of responsible tourism.”
Dolphins are highly intelligent, social animals, who struggle with the limitations of a captive life. It has been highly documented how much they suffer in captivity, and how tourist activities have a negative impact on their wellbeing.
Shift towards education and responsible experiences
While removing entertainment‑based animal attractions, Sunweb Group said it will continue to offer wildlife‑related excursions where animal welfare is prioritised and animals are observed in their natural environment.
This includes responsible whale watching trips, provided they maintain sufficient distance and avoid disturbing natural behaviour.
The company is also investing in training for tour guides, local agencies and employees, with clear animal welfare guidelines and a stronger focus on educational experiences.
Hundreds of thousands of wild animals worldwide are affected by tourism entertainment attractions. We have been campaigning for travel companies to play a more active role in reducing demand for such activities.
Many animals are taken from the wild or bred in captivity, without ever having the chance to live in their natural habitat or express natural behaviours.
Travel companies that are still promoting harmful animal activities, such as TUI and GetYourGuide, keep this cycle of suffering going.
Industry repsonsibility and wider momentum
Sunweb Group joins an ever increasing number of travel platforms that have already stopped promoting attractions involving captive wild animals.
Companies including Airbnb, Expedia Group, DERTOUR and Tripadvisor have previously announced similar policies. In the Netherlands, industry body ANVR has also rejected attractions featuring captive cetacean shows.
Travel organisations play a major role in the transition to responsible and animal‑friendly tourism.
It is an important step that Sunweb acknowledges the suffering in the industry and stops offering activities with wild animals.
Many travel companies have also taken the Wildlife-Friendly Pledge, which is a promise to support high welfare animal activities.
We encourage all animal loving tourists and travellers to research before you book, and travel responsibly. Our choices on holiday can have a lasting impact on animals and local communities.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.worldanimalprotection.org ’
