SeaWorld says ‘no company does more to protect orcas’ after Virgin Holidays whale tourism row Virgin Holidays will no longer sell tickets to SeaWorld’s five sites to stop sales and promotion of captive whale and dolphin attractions

SeaWorld has accused Virgin Holidays of caving in to pressure from animal rights activists after the holiday company announced it would no longer sell tickets to the theme parks.

On Tuesday Virgin Holidays announced the decision to stop selling tickets to SeaWorld’s five sites in its bid to stop sales and promotion of captive whale and dolphin attractions, amid concerns raised over the welfare of the animals.

The theme park and entertainment company hit back at Virgin Holidays over the decision, accusing it of succumbing to animal activists “who mislead and manipulate marine mammal science to advance their agendas”.

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“No company does more to protect marine mammals and advance cetacean research, rescue and conservation,” SeaWorld said.

Holiday firm changes

SeaWorld has come under fire for a number of years over its captivity of dolphins and whales.

Cconcerns about the quality of animal protection at the company’s theme parks became widely recognised following the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which focused on the life of orca Tilikum who was involved in the deaths of three people while held at SeaWorld.

Virgin Holidays ends sales to 5 destinations: SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld Orlando

Discovery Cove

Atlantis the Palm

Atlantis Paradise Island

Sir Richard Branson wrote in a blog that Virgin Holidays would “end the sales and promotion of tourism attractions that involve captive cetaceans, such as whales and dolphins”.

The decision comes one year after Thomas Cook announced it will no longer sell trips to animal parks that keep orcas in captivity.

In its response, SeaWorld said: “Virgin’s own corporate mission is having a measurable purpose that positively impacts communities and the environment. SeaWorld is the epitome of that mission.

“With more than 35,000 animal rescues and decades of meaningful scientific contributions, we are proud to be a recognised global leader in marine mammal science, education and, in particular, providing preeminent care to all of our marine mammals.

“With rising threats to our oceans and their inhabitants, supporting independently accredited zoological facilities is more important than ever. No company does more to protect marine mammals and advance cetacean research, rescue and conservation than SeaWorld.”

Animal welfare concerns

Concerns about captive killer whales have been raised by welfare activists who say that keeping the creatures in restricted environments negatively impacts their health.



Campaigners say the animals being in captivity can lead to aggressive behaviour, illness and even death.

In 2014, SeaWorld announced it planned to build new killer whale tanks that would be almost double the size of previous ones to provide more space for its whales. It denied the move was in response to the film Blackfish.