A new report from World Animal Protection is calling out travel companies, in particular online travel agent (OTA) Webjet, for continuing to sell experiences linked to wildlife cruelty – despite growing consumer opposition to harmful animal tourism.
The report, Caught in a Web of Cruelty: How Animals Suffer for Webjet’s Profits, ranks Webjet as the worst among Australia’s leading online travel companies when it comes to wildlife protection policies. Other companies performing poorly, according to this report, include OTA giant Luxury Escapes and booking platforms Wotif and Klook.
In contrast, businesses including Adventure World, Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, World Expeditions and Booking.com received maximum points for their commitments to animal welfare policies.
Among its findings, World Animal Protection’s research reveals Webjet sells tickets to 31 dolphin and orca entertainment venues (19 linked to Taiji dolphin hunts), 32 elephant entertainment venues, 59 monkey venues (seven offering circus-style performances) and 34 tiger venues (28 allowing selfies or shows).
Adding to concerns, Webjet’s 2023 partnership with Klook expanded its offering of problematic wildlife attractions, including venues where animals show signs of mistreatment and disease.
“It’s appalling that in 2025, travel companies that Aussies trust continue to profit from the suffering of dolphins, tigers, elephants and more,” World Animal Protection Australia Head of Campaigns Suzanne Milthorpe said.
“People love to see animals on their holiday, but wild animals don’t need to suffer in cruel venues for our entertainment.
“Webjet don’t practice what they preach. In one of their web blogs, they state elephant riding is ’cruel at worst and ethically dubious at best’, but the irony is they sell tickets to venues that abuse elephants for riding experiences and circus-style shows.
“In Australia recently we’ve seen Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary end koala cuddles, and Dreamworld end direct tiger interactions.
“It’s clear Webjet needs to respond to the changing landscape and modernise their offerings now.”
When it comes to attitudes towards animal experiences in tourism, public opinion is shifting. According to a 2024 poll commissioned by World Animal Protection, one in five Australians believe all direct animal encounters and wildlife shows are unacceptable.
Yesterday, World Animal Protection, a non-profit organisation, picketed Webjet’s Melbourne headquarters to raise awareness among employees.
They are also campaigning globally against travel brands associated with exploitative wildlife experiences, recently targeting GetYourGuide in the US.
World Animal Protection hopes the new report will encourage Webjet to sever ties with Klook and implement a transparent animal welfare policy.
Webjet and Klook reaction
In a statement sent to Karryon, a Webjet spokesperson said the company is “committed to the promotion of sustainable and ethical tourism”.
It added it would be working with Klook to review the activities in question and “continue in our shared mission to build a responsible tourist community”.
“Klook – who we partner with for our ‘Things to Do’ offering – has developed and implemented an updated Animal Welfare Policy and is actively working to educate operators on how to elevate animal welfare standards in partner locations, and work towards creating long-term and sustainable change in the industry,” they stated.
Meanwhile, a Klook spokesperson said that, “while we are disappointed by the report, we remain focused on meaningful engagement with partners to drive responsible and sustainable change in the industry”.
It added that it also has “a strict Code of Conduct that all operators must adhere to, which includes clear policies on animal welfare”.
“In line with our Animal Welfare Policy, we are committed to working closely with organisations such as World Animal Protection (WAP) to improve the welfare standards of animals in the tourism industry,” they said.
“Our Animal Welfare Policy prohibits the sale of certain exploitative practices, including products that have a sole focus on shows featuring wild animals, interactive experiences with wild animals, and wild animal photo opportunities where the animals were baited or drugged.
“As part of this, we have removed a number of activities from our platform and merchants operating other experiences with animal welfare concerns were notified and encouraged to make changes.
“Additionally, we have also implemented a thorough review of our elephant activities based on standards developed by international experts in captive elephant welfare.”
One of the leaders in purposeful travel, Adventure World, responded to the report by reiterating its commitment to ethical animal tourism.
“Our ethos, ‘Travel with Purpose’… it’s ‘teach, not preach’ [and] has been in our DNA since Adventure World began selling wildlife as part of our program,” Adventure World Managing Director Neil Rodgers said.
“Adventure World preserve and respect wildlife: we champion the well-being of endangered species through partnerships with leading wildlife organisations and we source only observational wildlife encounters.
“We want to see more travel advisors prioritise ethical travel and animal welfare,” Rodgers urged.
“Travellers should feel empowered to call out bad practices.”
World Animal Protection is urging travel bodies to take responsibility for the wildlife experiences they promote, offering to collaborate on creating a cruelty-free future for animals in tourism. They have also provided a tool on their website for the public to express their concerns directly to Webjet.
