Donkeys used in tourism for riding and carrying activities face welfare challenges from overloading, inadequate rest, and insufficient veterinary care that threaten their wellbeing.
Tourism donkey welfare involves the intersection of visitor enjoyment, cultural practices, economic dependency, and animal suffering. Donkeys overloaded by heavy tourist riders, worked without adequate rest in extreme heat, with wounds from poorly fitting equipment represent welfare harms that are directly observable by the tourists whose demand creates the activity. Traveler welfare advocacy is particularly effective in tourism contexts: venues that receive complaints and requests for welfare improvements and lose business from concerned tourists have direct incentive to improve. The Donkey Sanctuary and similar organizations provide welfare standards and assessment tools that tourism operators can adopt to demonstrate commitment to animal welfare.