Three things to consider before selling animal experiences

KEEP WILDLIFE WILD

Intrepid became the first tour operator to ban elephant riding in 2014, and has a clear policy on any trip that involves animals. Etti explains: “At Intrepid we believe animals should be viewed in the wild, with no contact and interaction and doing what they do best: living in the wild.”

The operator works closely with global charity World Animal Protection, which advises responsible travellers to never visit a venue where they can ride, pet or wash wild animals, or watch them perform. Abta also explains basic welfare requirements and unacceptable practices in its Animal Welfare Guidelines, available at abta.com.

CREATING GUIDELINES

To help agents get started on their journey, Intrepid and World Animal Protection have created a free Animal Welfare Policy Toolkit, available in the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes Starter Kit. It includes 10 steps on how agents can become more wildlife-friendly, starting by reviewing their animal-related product offering, assessing its value and starting conversations with ground suppliers.

Intrepid’s general manager of global product, Erica Kritikides, suggests agents become familiar with the welfare credentials of experiences they sell, so they are very confident recommending them. She says most suppliers who prioritise animal welfare will normally have some form of guidelines, or provide external validation of what they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to ask if this isn’t obvious.

The toolkit also includes an editable animal welfare policy template agents can adapt and use, which some Ambassadors used to create their own documents. It explains how to write a commitment setting out your business’s values and principles towards animals in tourism.

Then it’s time to set out concrete practices outlining what’s acceptable, and what’s not. This section can cover animal welfare basics, the difference between wild and domestic animals, riding and using animals for transport, viewing wildlife in the wild, visiting sanctuaries, taking photos and videos of animals and buying animal products.

Intrepid’s toolkit also shares guidance on how agents can determine genuine wildlife sanctuaries, rehabilitation facilities and rescue centres with the highest standards of care.

Your guidelines can be an internal document used for reference by you and any team members. You may choose to share it with clients, and it could be displayed on your website and in your store or office, communicated about on social media and included in your email signature. Don’t forget, you can have a longer internal document and a concise version to share with clients, if you like.

Etti also advises agents to think carefully about how animal experiences are portrayed in marketing materials. Do they show lots of stroking, cuddling or interaction with animals, and do they accurately represent the experience a client will have?

She adds: “Everyone has a role to play. You can be an ambassador on the ground to really support wildlife nature-based tourism. It’s recognising we are in a climate crisis, but we are at the same time in a biodiversity crisis. So if we don’t look after eco-systems and animals, we won’t have them in the coming years to visit.”