Posts Tagged ‘Tour Operators’
More Success! WDC’s negotiations with travel giant TripAdvisor pay off
Online travel giant, TripAdvisor is to stop the promotion of whale and dolphin captivity shows, a move that follows many months of positive dialogue between the company and WDC. The news is the latest success for WDC’s tour operators campaign, which has targeted big travel industry names and challenged them to stop promoting this kind…
Read MoreVirgin Holidays drop SeaWorld – thanks for doing the right thing
As a campaigning organisation it can sometimes be frustrating to see the cogs of change grinding so slowly. I certainly feel it and I’m sure you do too. Back in 2014, WDC launched a high profile campaign calling on Richard Branson, as a founder of the Virgin brand and someone who has a stated interest…
Read MoreHuge success for WDC campaign as Virgin Holidays ends SeaWorld trips
Virgin Holidays has announced that it is to stop selling tickets to SeaWorld as part of a move to cut links with facilities that hold whales and dolphins in captivity for entertainment. The announcement represents a huge success for WDC’s ongoing campaign to stop tour operators promoting and supporting the captivity industry, a campaign that…
Read MoreBeluga whales safely land in Iceland
Cargolux delivers Little Grey and Little White safely to Iceland on their way to the world’s first beluga whale sanctuary. Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) are happy to confirm the safe arrival of two beluga whales, Little Grey and Little White, after a 6,000 mile journey from China to Iceland. Little Grey and Little White…
Read MoreVirgin clarifies its Pledge bringing an end to wild captures even closer
For those of us involved in the stakeholder process initiated by Virgin to address whales and dolphins in captivity, and the role of tourism in their global protection, it was not immediately clear the extent and reach of the Pledge that resulted from this process. The Pledge essentially says that Virgin will no longer conduct business with…
Read MoreI’m Bl**dy Angry!
Such was the reaction to BA’s letter from all of us at WDC and the hundreds of thousands of people who had signed Kathleen Haase’s change.org petition calling on British Airways to stop selling trips to SeaWorld. It also came as something of a surprise. At our meeting with BA on 13th October, the company acknowledged…
Read MoreBritish Airways acknowledges public concern over captivity
On 13th October 2014, I represented WDC in a constructive, two-hour meeting with British Airways representatives at their offices in Central London on the subject of British Airways’ relationship with SeaWorld, a US marine park company holding whales and dolphins in captivity for display to the public. Also at the meeting was WDC supporter, Kathleen…
Read MoreMixed messages from Virgin on whale and dolphin captivity
US airline Virgin America, which was founded by Richard Branson, has announced that it is to drop a scheme that allows its customers to earn points toward travel when they spend money at SeaWorld parks. Virgin America, still part owned by Branson, is the latest in a line of big company names to cut certain…
Read MoreSure we are disappointed, but….
Virgin broke its news about ‘The Pledge’ today, after months of consultation with a diverse group of stakeholders from inside and outside the captivity industry, including WDC and other animal welfare and conservation organizations. Initially announced on February 27, 2014, Virgin’s pledge was in response to the growing and undeniable public conversation and concern surrounding…
Read MoreWDC disappointed by Richard Branson’s decision not to stop selling trips to SeaWorld
WDC has expressed disappointment over today’s statement by Virgin Holidays that the company will continue to work with aquariums, such as SeaWorld, which confine whales and dolphins in small tanks for so-called ‘entertainment’. The announcement by Virgin has been long-awaited by WDC. Earlier in the year, we launched a major anti-captivity campaign aimed at the…
Read More