Vacay Victory! Marriott Removing Animal Rides at the Great Pyramids After PETA Shows Beatings

For Immediate Release:
April 29, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Bethesda, Md. –

Following communications with PETA that included video footage of dying camels, beaten horses, and underfed animals, Marriott is now removing all tours and activities featuring camels and horses forced to carry visitors in the blistering heat at the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, acknowledging that such offerings violate its animal welfare standards. In thanks, PETA is sending Marriott a big thank-you and some delicious vegan chocolates.

*A camel being abused in Egypt’s tourism industry. Credit: PETA Asia*

PETA Asia’s latest investigation into the historic site documented handlers violently beating exhausted horses and camels who are used to haul tourists in the blistering heat and without shade. Injured and malnourished horses were seen eating from garbage dumps, and the bodies of dead horses were found discarded every day at trash sites outside the Giza pyramids. Camels considered too old, sick, or injured to be useful were often hauled to a slaughterhouse, where their throats were slit while they were still conscious. One camel on video can be seen continuing to kick for agonizing minutes after her throat has been cut.

“PETA thanks the growing list of companies that recognize that travelers are appalled by the violence inflicted on camels and horses at the Great Pyramids,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “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.”

Horses are herd animals who can feel stressed if forced to live alone and they mourn each other’s deaths, while camels are known to greet one another by blowing air on each other’s faces. Marriott joins more than 50 businesses that won’t 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, and TCS World Travel.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.