Sauraha, the gateway to the Chitwan National Park in Nepal, is changing its promotion tactic by adding a twist to its elephant tourism.
Elephant-back safaris have dominated the region’s tourism for many years, but shifting visitor preferences and growing maintenance expenses are forcing operators to consider “bush walks” as an alternative.
Up to 90 elephants are used to transport visitors every day through the park’s woodlands and meadows.
Almost half of them are still working in the safari now.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, when tourism income plummeted, several elephant owners were compelled to sell or send their animals back to India.
According to Dipendra Khatiwada, chair of the United Elephant Safari Cooperative, the cost of keeping an elephant can reach NPR150,000 (around US$1,070) per month, which makes the business unsustainable in the absence of consistent demand.
Animal welfare a concern for tourists
The industry has also changed as a result of international criticism.
After the German organisation Pro-Wildlife launched a campaign against elephant rides in 2014, a number of European travel companies quickly eliminated them from their itineraries.
This shift spread to Sauraha, where a large number of visitors, particularly Europeans, started to completely shun safaris.
“Many of our European guests started saying that elephants suffer during safaris.”
“They no longer wanted to ride them,” tourism leader Dhruba Giri told Nepali newspaper The Kathmandu Post in an interview.
Operators have responded by introducing substitutes.
Bush walks, where guests walk next to elephants and watch them eat or take a bath, are becoming more popular.
Despite being more expensive than conventional rides, operators report that guests seeking ethical experiences are increasingly choosing the packages.
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Elephant tourism ‘needs to evolve’
Khatiwada acknowledges that the elephant tourism paradigm needs to change.
“Tourists prefer experiences where they can interact with elephants without riding them,” United Elephant Safari Co-operative chair Dipendra Khatiwada told the Post.
Conservationists support the shift, noting that elephants can be just as engaging when observed naturally.
“If people can enjoy watching rhinos, they can also appreciate elephants without riding them,” said Ganesh Pant, chief conservation officer at Chitwan National Park.
“The model of elephant tourism has to evolve.”
Challenges remain for the industry
With elephant numbers dwindling and costs rising, questions linger about the long-term role of elephants in Sauraha’s identity.
Tourism entrepreneurs like Ram Kumar Aryal, who has worked with elephants for four decades, warn that unless new models succeed, the community could lose a key draw.
“We need to explore alternatives, or tourism here will suffer,” he told the Post.
For the time being, Sauraha’s elephant tourism is being revitalised with bush walks and other interactive activities.
However, the sector is at a turning point, torn between heritage, animal welfare and the pressing need to reinvent itself.
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Adam Peaker 
Ian Trinidad