Virgin Holidays won’t sell tickets to SeaWorld

Branson’s company calls for captive whales, dolphins to be relocated

United Kingdom-based Virgin Holidays will no longer sell tickets to SeaWorld and other parks that display captive whales and dolphins, Sir Richard Branson said this week.

“For all of us at Virgin, the announcement marks the most significant milestone yet on a fiveyear journey to drive positive change in the tourism industry,” Branson wrote on a company blog post.

It’s unclear the impact of Virgin’s decision; SeaWorld declined to provide sales numbers.

SeaWorld criticized the move when reached for comment Tuesday.

“It is disappointing to see Virgin Holidays succumb to pressure from animal activists who mislead and manipulate marine mammal science to advance their agendas,” said Chris Dold, SeaWorld Parks’ Chief Zoological Officer, in a statement. “Virgin’s own corporate mission is having a measurable purpose that positively impacts communities and the environment. SeaWorld is the epitome of that mission.”

Dold pointed to the theme parks’ rescue efforts of helping 35,000 animals over the years.

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

For the animals in captivity, Virgin is pushing for whales and dolphins to be relocated to sanctuaries.

“I feel strongly now that sanctuaries are the best solution to improve the situation of current captive populations, while changing the way tourists interact with whales and dolphins for good,” Branson wrote. “Today’s announcement thus comes at the right time and will hopefully give a fresh boost to these efforts.”