A half-dozen travel industry companies, including rental giant Airbnb, have agreed to stop promoting or selling tickets to animal rides at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
The move comes as a result of ongoing efforts by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to shine a light on the bleak lives and excessive cruelty that animals such as camels and horses are subjected to at the pyramids.
A PETA-led investigation documented animal handlers violently beating exhausted horses and camels, who are used to haul tourists in the blistering sun.
Additionally, injured and malnourished horses were observed eating from garbage dumps, and the bodies of dead horses were found discarded every day at trash sites outside the Giza pyramids, according to PETA.
Camels considered too old, sick, or injured to be useful are often hauled to a slaughterhouse.
“More and more travel operators are rejecting the horror of it all and encouraging tourists to enjoy the Great Pyramids’ stunning views without supporting cruelty to horses and camels,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement.
“PETA applauds Airbnb and other travel companies for shunning these shameful rides and urges Egyptian authorities to show it cares one iota and act to defend the animals,” Reiman added.
The additional North American travel companies that will no longer sell animal rides at the Giza pyramids include Black Tomato, Shore Excursions Group, ToursByLocals, Under30Experiences, and World Travel Holdings.
These companies join dozens of businesses that have previously announced that they will no longer promote or sell animal rides at the pyramids, including Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, British Airways Holidays, easyJet holidays, Exodus Adventure Travels, Grand Circle Corporation, Scott Dunn, and TCS World Travel.
During an interview with TravelPulse, PETA’s Corporate Responsibility Officer Emily Guice said the Egyptian government has been nonresponsive when it comes to issues of animal welfare related to the camels and horses used for rides at the Giza pyramids.
PETA has reached out to the country’s government officials for years about the issue, including the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.
“For over five years PETA has attempted to engage with Egypt’s government,” Guice told TravelPulse. “We’ve sent letters pointing out the issues and pushed them to add a veterinary clinic. But a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism replied that the goal of any improvements was to benefit tourists, not the animals.”
Moreover, when PETA investigators returned to the site of the Giza pyramids in 2023 and 2024 they discovered that a secret graveyard “where animals are dumped daily” had been added to the site.
“For five years the government has been making empty promises to protect these animals. There’s been no enforcement, no real change, just suffering,” explained Guice.
“It’s clear that the government is unreliable and that the onus on the travel industry to make a change here,” Guice added. “Camel and horse rides at the pyramids of Giza are primarily an activity for tourists from other countries, so this is being fueled by tourists.”
The horse and camel rides at the pyramids are just one example of how the tourism industry continues to grapple with animal welfare. Whether it’s the running of the bulls in Spain or the inhumane practice of selling elephant rides throughout Asia, there is still much awareness needed surrounding these issues.
PETA is now calling on the entire travel industry to follow the lead of the companies that have already decided to stop promoting or selling animal rides at the Giza pyramids.
- Don’t participate in horse or camel rides around the pyramids at Giza
- Share information about PETA’s investigation into this issue with fellow travelers who may be considering visiting the Giza pyramids and taking one of these animal rides.
