Marriott removes tours with camel and horse rides at Giza pyramids
The world’s largest hotel group is removing tours and activities involving camel and horse rides at the Giza pyramid complex, joining more than 50 other travel businesses.
Image: PETA
Hotel giant Marriott will no longer feature tours and activities involving camel and horse rides at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, citing animal welfare animal welfare violations.
The move comes following communications with animal rights charity, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), that included video footage of dying camels, beaten horses, and underfed animals used for rides at the popular tourist attraction.
Marriott joins more than 50 businesses that have also agreed not to promote or sell animal rides at the pyramids, including Airbnb, Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, British Airways Holidays, easyJet holidays, Exodus Adventure Travels, Grand Circle Corporation, Scott Dunn, TCS World Travel, and many more.
PETA welcomed the decision, praising companies for “recognizing that travelers are appalled by the violence inflicted on camels and horses at the Great Pyramids.”
“PETA applauds Marriott for shunning these shameful rides and urges Egyptian authorities to find a moral compass and ban the blight of animal abuse at the pyramids,” said PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman.
Footage from PETA Asia’s latest investigation into Egypt’s Giza site revealed handlers beating horses and camels who appear exhausted from carrying tourists in intense heat with little access to shade.
Malnourished horses were seen eating from rubbish piles, and investigators reported finding the bodies of dead animals discarded near the site.
Camels no longer considered fit for work were sent to slaughter, where they were killed without being fully stunned. One video shows a camel continuing to kick for minutes after her throat was cut, according to PETA.
The animal rights charity launched an investigation into the treatment of horses and camels at Giza back in 2019, following multiple reports and complaints from visitors there, who claimed the animals were being mistreated while used as ‘photo props’.
Then, in 2020, following assurances from officials that they would ban the animal rides, PETA suspended its campaign. But this turned out to be “empty promises” according to PETA’s corporate Responsibility Officer, Emily Guice.
“For five years the government has been making empty promises to protect these animals. There’s been no enforcement, no real change, just suffering,” said Guice.
The group ramped up its investigations once again in 2023 and 2024 leading to progress in the travel world, with industry leaders shunning promotion of the rides.
Following international media attention of the recorded camel and horse abuse, Egypt’s tourism and agriculture departments created a new government initiative, The National Programme for the Care and Protection of Horses, Camels, and Pets at Archaeological Sites, which launched in October 2024. Under this new government initiative an animal-free bus transport system at the Pyramids of Giza is set to launch, making it easier for tourists to navigate the historic site without supporting horse and camel rides.
Although PETA were pleased with the new government program, the group cautioned that it’s too early to tell whether the country’s new program will be “truly impactful or merely a response to pressure,” and says the only reliable way to ensure animals don’t suffer is to keep them away from the pyramids altogether.
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