Thomas Cook ends ticket sales to attractions with captive dolphins

Thomas Cook has removed the sale of any attraction with captive cetaceans including dolphins, orcas or whales.

In 2018, the former Thomas Cook business removed from sale any attraction with captive orcas and the new digital business, established in 2020, has gone further, adding any facilities where dolphins and whales (cetaceans) are held in captivity.

The online holiday company said that customer feedback ‘shows that consumers want to enjoy animals while on holiday but had concerns over, in particular, dolphins in captivity’.

It added: ‘Thomas Cook will instead offer and promote wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins which allow people to experience these animals in their own habitat.’

In 2018, the former Thomas Cook business came under fire, as we reported, from animal rights campaigners for offering rooms in a Chinese hotel that has captive dolphins and beluga whales displayed at on-site attractions.

The dolphins are sourced from a ‘drive fishing’ hunt in Japan described by leading marine mammal scientist Dr Naomi Rose, based in Washington DC, as ‘horrific’ and ‘wildly cruel’.

The same scientist described dolphin and beluga captivity as ‘fundamentally inhumane’.

The UK-based Dolphin Freedom pressure group had called upon Thomas Cook to cut its ties with the hotel – the Atlantis Sanya in Hainan province.

Alan French, chief executive of Thomas Cook, said: ‘We know that for our customers going to a zoo or an aqua park is an important part of their holiday and we only want to offer those experiences when we’re confident they abide by the highest welfare standards and are not built on animal suffering.

Thomas Cook said that customer feedback ‘shows that consumers want to enjoy animals while on holiday but had concerns over, in particular, dolphins in captivity’ 

‘We have taken the decision to offer only wild-watching experiences for whales and dolphins to help our customers experience these intelligent and sociable animals in their natural habitat.

‘We have been seeing a strong return to bookings following the pandemic, but also a decline in the demand for activities that harm the environment or animals.

‘Our customers care about these issues, and we are proud to be matching those sentiments. It has been an easy decision to make.’

Thomas Cook said the move ‘is part of the online company’s integration of thousands of activities and attractions to its platform that will allow customers to book days out and tours all over the world’.

Thomas Cook is part of Fosun Tourism Group, whose other hospitality businesses include Club Med.