It is outlined in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Action Plan for Animal Welfare. The definition of low welfare experiences will be defined in secondary legislation, on which the government is due to consult shortly as well.

Abta is supportive of government action on the sale of tickets in the UK to attractions which involve activities such as riding or bathing with elephants – our own guidelines say these activities are unacceptable.

We’ve been in contact with Defra officials to share the action taken by the travel industry to date, as well as insight and expertise gained from the development of Abta’s Animal Welfare Guidelines.

The recognition of the importance of animal welfare in tourism is not new. Abta has been leading the way on animal welfare in the UK and global travel industry for more than 10 years, developing the first ever guidelines for animal welfare in global tourist attractions.

The guidelines help our members, as well as their suppliers and customers, manage interactions with animals – laying out requirements for animal welfare and highlighting unacceptable practices.

Travel businesses know they can play an important role in upholding animal welfare, and many Abta members are implementing animal welfare policies by taking actions such as assessing attractions and including animal welfare standards as part of supplier contracts.

Travel companies are also using these guidelines to inform what to sell and what to avoid.

This is also an area consumers care about. Abta’s 2020 Holiday Habits found 69% of people say they are concerned about how animals are treated on holiday. Concerns over animal welfare consistently make the headlines, risking reputational damage to businesses involved.

Stopping the sale of low animal welfare activities in the UK won’t stop people from visiting these sorts of attractions, as travellers can still book them independently.

But it does give companies a greater platform to work together with local communities to develop best practices in the way tourists can experience wildlife.

When travel providers and suppliers work together, visitors can have meaningful, rewarding experiences, and standards of animal welfare and customer health and safety can be upheld.

Clare Jenkinson is Abta’s head of sustainability.