This week World Animal Protection (WAP) launched a petition claiming TripAdvisor actively promotes and profits from some of the cruellest wildlife tourist attractions and calling on the review site to stop listing them. WAP cites 2015 research by the University of Oxford that reviewed 188 wildlife venues featured on TripAdvisor and found that 75% of the different types of attractions involve wildlife cruelty.
According to WAP, TripAdvisor has told it that: “The fact that a property, establishment or business may be listed on TripAdvisor does not represent our endorsement of that establishment.”
However, WAP claims that Tripadvisor’s algorithms “can lead to even the cruellest wildlife venues being ranked highly in their Popularity Index, or even receive a ‘Certificate of Excellence’.”
WAP has called on Tripadvisor to create a WildlifeLeaders programme (echoing its hugely successful Greenleaders programme) where TripAdvisor rewards and promotes genuinely humane wildlife experiences.
This is adapted version of an article first published by World Animal Protection. Read the original article here: Why is TripAdvisor refusing to protect wildlife? | UK World Animal Protection
