Improving animal welfare in tourism

While this zoo in Johor, Malaysia, has been closed, with TripAdvisor's new policy, travellers won't be able to book specific tourism experiences which feature harmful practices in dealing with captive wild animals or endangered species. Filepic

When you travel to a place which is famous for its animal attractions, are you concerned about how the animals are treated? Lately, there has been an increasing number of animal abuse cases reported in the news as well as on social media.

International travel booking site TripAdvisor plans to lead the way in improving animal welfare standards in tourism. TripAdvisor and its Viator brand will stop selling tickets for specific tourism experiences where travellers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species, such as elephant rides, petting tigers, or swimming with and riding dolphins.