Animals, values and tourism — structural shifts in UK dolphin tourism provision

Abstract General concern for the environment within tourism practices does not guarantee that the rights and welfare of individual animals will be considered. Indeed, different philosophical positions: environmental ethics, animal welfare and animal rights would each have different implications if incorporated into tourism development. This paper reports on one case where the deliberate promotion of an animal rights perspective has brought about a structural transformation in tourism provision. In the UK, over the past ten years, there has been a complete shift away from viewing dolphins in captivity to viewing dolphins in the wild. This shift is illustrated with reference to the Morecambe Dolphin Campaign of 1989–1991, where animal rights activists brought about the closure of a dolphinarium through a combination of direct communication with tourists and through lobbying the licensing local authority. The different ethical issues associated with the UK's new wild dolphin watching infrastructure are illustrated with particular reference to the Moray Firth, Scotland. The importance of the tourism industry and tourism researchers recognising the significance of animals as individual actors is highlighted.