A campaign recruiting tourism players to join efforts to curb the dog and cat meat trade (DCMT) in Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam has reaped huge rewards, with several states and cities enforcing a ban.
In 2020, NGO Four Paws launched a collaborative effort to engage the global tourism industry in supporting its campaign to end the DCMT in the three countries. According to Four Paws, DCMT poses a threat to inbound tourism, undermining efforts to control the spread of rabies and other zoonotic diseases – this poses a threat to locals and tourists.
The campaign has seen several states and cities in Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam enforcing a ban on dog and cat meat consumption
As part of the campaign, Four Paws piloted a DCMT reporting tool in Quang Nam and Danang in Vietnam. The tool enabled the public and tourism players to report incidents of dog and cat meat consumption.
Between November 2022 and December 2023, 288 DCMT-related activities were reported. A nationwide rollout of the tool is scheduled for this month. A raft of tour operators has also signed a two million-strong pledge to end the trade.
“Our guests overwhelmingly come from countries where pets are part of their daily life. The thought of some people eating dog and cat (meat) is enough to stop guests travelling to South-east Asia,” said Steve Lidgey, general manager at Travel Asia a la Carte, which has signed the pledge.
To date, in Indonesia, a total of 51 provinces, cities and regencies have committed to end the trade. Additionally, in December 2023, one of the last remaining dog and cat meat restaurants in Hoi An closed after a two-year campaign to phase the trade out of the Vietnamese city.
Suyin Lee, managing director of Discova, said: “We have signed the pledge because protecting animals and betterment of care is a key focus for Discova. We believe that animal-friendly tourism is both possible and necessary, and encourage others to support this initiative.”
A campaign recruiting tourism players to join efforts to curb the dog and cat meat trade (DCMT) in Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam has reaped huge rewards, with several states and cities enforcing a ban.
In 2020, NGO Four Paws launched a collaborative effort to engage the global tourism industry in supporting its campaign to end the DCMT in the three countries. According to Four Paws, DCMT poses a threat to inbound tourism, undermining efforts to control the spread of rabies and other zoonotic diseases – this poses a threat to locals and tourists.
As part of the campaign, Four Paws piloted a DCMT reporting tool in Quang Nam and Danang in Vietnam. The tool enabled the public and tourism players to report incidents of dog and cat meat consumption.
Between November 2022 and December 2023, 288 DCMT-related activities were reported. A nationwide rollout of the tool is scheduled for this month. A raft of tour operators has also signed a two million-strong pledge to end the trade.
“Our guests overwhelmingly come from countries where pets are part of their daily life. The thought of some people eating dog and cat (meat) is enough to stop guests travelling to South-east Asia,” said Steve Lidgey, general manager at Travel Asia a la Carte, which has signed the pledge.
To date, in Indonesia, a total of 51 provinces, cities and regencies have committed to end the trade. Additionally, in December 2023, one of the last remaining dog and cat meat restaurants in Hoi An closed after a two-year campaign to phase the trade out of the Vietnamese city.
Suyin Lee, managing director of Discova, said: “We have signed the pledge because protecting animals and betterment of care is a key focus for Discova. We believe that animal-friendly tourism is both possible and necessary, and encourage others to support this initiative.”