AEI speaks about whaling practices in the Faroe Islands

A few weeks ago a cruise ship witnessed a traditional whale hunt in the Faroe Islands. It caused a lot of distress among the passengers. We were asked by the Washington Post to comment.

You can read the whole article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/07/13/faroe-islands-whale-hunt-slaughter-cruise-line/

While we believe our quote does get to the heart of what we think is important about travel, we did want to share our whole comment because it could spark even more conversation.

I don't think it's a tour operators' responsibility to shield passengers from the truth. The whale hunt in the Faroe Islands is indeed harrowing but it is a reality. While I don't think culture is ever an excuse for violence, this whale hunt, for the present is a part of the culture and history of the Faroe Island. To shield passengers from seeing it would be engaging in erasure around the very people we should be engaging with when we visit their traditional lands. Shielding people from cultural events also takes away the nuance in discussions that could and should happen around animal welfare, traditional activities and tourism. 

I think it's also important to create room for discussions about animal welfare and marine conservation for those aboard these ships. I don't ever think discussion is bad, especially when all parties are given a seat at the table. 

The whale hunt is extremely distressing to witness. Full stop. But turning away doesn't help the animals who are killed, and it doesn't help give voice to those who take part in the hunt. Shielding passengers only allows them to be ignorant to both the traditional culture of the place they are visiting and to the sentient beings who are being slaughtered. 

I don't think tragic scenes should be accepted but they also shouldn't be hidden away either.