Humans have always used animals for private and public entertainment, and it has always been widely accepted in society. Today, people have the opportunity to meet closely with several different animal species that create tourist's experiences. Animal tourism is a growing industry that creates great economic benefits. Unfortunately, The animals in the industry must pay a high price for entertaining the audience- humans! Organizations for animal rights have shown that there is a desire among tourists to have close contact with animals. The animal industry, on the other hand, has become increasingly criticized for mistreating animals. The animals' poor condition and other deviations have attracted attention via social media. The purpose of this essay was to study young adults' emotional reactions and attitudes towards animal entertainment in the tourist industry. The reason for this is to find out whether there will be any demand to visit destinations and take part in animal entertainment in the future. The study was based on a qualitative method where data was collected via semi-structured interviews, which consisted of both women and men. A thematic analysis was performed with a deductive approach. Thereafter, the results were analysed and linked to relevant theories and previous research. The summary resulted in young adults having a generally negative feeling and attitudes towards animal entertainment. The people in the study choose to no longer take part in animals as entrainment due the poor living conditions of the animals. Due to these reasons, the demand for animal entertainment may decrease in the future.

Att använda djur inom turismindustrin är vanligt, trots det har lite forskning inom ämnet riktats mot människors etiska hänseenden. Turistaktiviteter som elefantridning, gå på delfinshow eller besöka djurparker är vanliga inslag under semestern. Denna uppsats syftar till att studera djurattraktioner utifrån olika svenska intressenters perspektiv och dess uppfattningar om djurattraktioner. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ metod där intervjuer har genomförts med följande intressenter: Kolmården djurpark, djurrättsorganisationen Djurens Rätt, researrangören NAZAR, samt besökare av djurattraktioner. Utöver det har även en platsobservation gjorts samt enkätfrågor delats ut på Kolmården. De valda teorierna för studien utgår från två huvudteman vilket är följande: “Djur och etik” samt “Djurens utrymmen i förhållande till besökarnas upplevelser”. I resultatavsnittet får läsaren ta del av de olika intressenternas syn på djurattraktioner inom turismen. Kapitlet presenteras med resultat utifrån producenternas perspektiv för att sedan övergå till besökarnas. Därefter analyseras resultatet i förhållande till tidigare forskning och teori. Slutsatsen av studien redovisas i det sista kapitlet med tillhörande diskussion. Resultatet visar att djurens välbefinnande är av största vikt för samtliga intressenter men att det finns olika uppfattningar om vilket tillvägagångssätt som är bäst för att säkerställa djurens välbefinnande i framtiden. / Using animals in the tourism industry is common, although some research on the subject has been directed towards people's ethical concerns. Tourist activities such as elephant riding, dolphin shows or visiting zoos are common features during the holidays. In this study, we will try to provide new knowledge about how visitors relate to and argue about animal attractions. This paper aims to study animal attractions based on the views of different Swedish stakeholders and their views on animal attractions related to tourism. The study is based on a qualitative method where interviews have been conducted with the following stakeholders: Kolmården zoo, animal rights organization Djurens Rätt, tour operator NAZAR, as well as regular visitors of animal attractions. In addition to this, a site observation has also been made and questionnaires were distributed at Kolmården zoo. The chosen theories for the study are based on two main themes which are: “Animals and ethics” as well as “Animal spaces in relation to visitor’s experiences”. In the result chapter, each stakeholder’s view of animal tourist attractions is presented. The chapter starts with the results based on the producer's perspective and then switched to the visitors. Thereafter, the result is analyzed in relation to previous research and theory. The conclusion of the study is presented in the last chapter, along with an accompanying discussion. The results shows that animal welfare is the most important to all stakeholders but there are different perceptions how to ensure the future for the animals.