A Qantas spokesperson told The Feed:
"We’ve been in dialogue with World Animal Protection in relation to their campaign. They’ve shared with us several overseas animal and wildlife venues, which, while popular with tourists, are believed to have poor standards of animal welfare. Qantas will no longer promote these venues on our digital channels."
A Flight Centre Travel Group spokesperson told The Feed:
"The Flight Centre Travel Group operates under a Responsible Travel Charter and has established a clear position when it comes to dealing with animal welfare and other concerns.
"Our doors have always been open to World Animal Protection, WAP is fully aware of our position and as recently as this week it acknowledged the positive work the Flight Centre Travel Group has done in this space.
"In essence, the Flight Centre Travel Group is committed to promoting and selling travel that respects human rights, the environment, animal welfare and social equality.
"To ensure this happens, we audit thousands of suppliers and tour operators to identify any issues.
"When animal welfare issues are identified or raised, our first priority is to work with the supplier in question to address those concerns and to move to better practices.
"While we share similar beliefs to WAP in relation to animal welfare, we also believe that we need to take a holistic view and to engage proactively with suppliers to seek better outcomes in the short-term, both for the animals and for the local communities.
"Where suppliers have been unwilling to address our concerns, we have removed their products from our shelves and we will continue to do so.
"In relation to elephant riding, our policy is to not promote this activity on our websites or in our brochures. If a human error is made, we seek to remove the image as soon as we become aware of it."
