Report shows that GetYourGuide website profits from animal abuse

Popular tourism website GetYourGuide, frequently used by Australian travellers, is a key partner in the tourism industry’s exploitative use of wildlife for entertainment, according to a newly released report from World Animal Protection.

The study Making Memories Misery: How GetYourGuide Profits from Animal Cruelty profiles the animal tourism venues partnering with GetYourGuide, detailing instances where animals endure cruel training, are forced into frightening interactions with people and have suffered shocking injuries.

Some of the worst offenders include Dolphin Discovery (Mexico, Caribbean, USA), Miami Seaquarium (USA), Amer Fort (India) and Bali Safari Marine Park (Indonesia).

GetYourGuide also sells tickets to controversial close encounters with wild animals at several Australian venues, including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures and Dreamworld.

Specifically, the report calls out Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin for their photo ops with crocodiles and ‘cage of death’” experiences, where people enter a plastic tube in the middle of a pool with an adult crocodile.

This is despite GetYourGuide’s ‘Restricted Products and Responsible Tourism Guidelines’ outlining that “activities involving captive wild animals or demeaning performances will not be accepted.”

Website traffic data from SimilarWeb shows that Australians place in the top five countries visiting the website, receiving over one million Australian website visits per month.

Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, commented “GetYourGuide is profiting from the suffering of thousands of animals who are trapped for life in tourist entertainment.

“We’re warning travellers about GetYourGuide’s role in perpetuating animal cruelty until the company publicly adopts an animal welfare policy.

“It is truly shocking to see how GetYourGuide continues to profit from wildlife suffering. They are falling behind other travel companies used by Australians like Flight Centre, Intrepid and Contiki, who have removed all exploitative wildlife experiences from their platforms.

“We urge the tourism industry to take responsibility for the activities and venues they promote and work with us towards a future where tourism does not contribute to wildlife cruelty.”

Wild animals used by the tourism industry are either forcibly taken from their natural habitats or bred into captivity, often separated from their families at an early age with World Animal Protection contending that such animals suffer immensely from the moment they are born or captured, and then throughout their entire lives as they are forced into shows, encounters, and photo opportunities.

World Animal Protection has repeatedly attempted to engage with GetYourGuide to inform the company about the animal suffering they are profiting from. However, the travel platform has rejected all efforts, despite World Animal Protection’s recent demonstration outside the company's headquarters in Berlin. GetYourGuide has also blocked several World Animal Protection social media accounts from their channels.

GetYourGuide has 17 offices around the world, including one in Sydney as part of their Asia Pacific operations.

World Animal Protection hopes that the release of this new report will finally move GetYourGuide to work with the global organisation to develop a public animal welfare policy. Until such a date, World Animal Protection will continue to warn consumers to avoid using the company for any bookings.

Click here to read World Animal Protection’s report Making Memories Misery: How GetYourGuide Profits from Animal Cruelty.

Images: Elephant tourism at India's Amer Fort (top), elephants at Bali Safari (middle, credit: World Animal Protection/Andito Wasi) and visitors handling turtles at the Cayman Turtle Centre (below, credit: World Animal Protection/Nando Machado).