The Elephant Tourism Business

Elephant tourism is a growing attraction in many countries across Asia and Africa and is popular with tourists from many origins. As elephants are no longer used in the logging industry in Asia, elephant tourism has grown rapidly, providing the only viable way that elephants and their owners can generate income. Old logging camps were developed into sanctuaries for some elephants, but many other camps were established as entertainment centres, with various welfare issues resulting for the elephants and their mahouts. The profits from elephant tourism in Asia have encouraged African operators to follow a similar business model. This book draws attention to the need for a comprehensive and rigorous focus on local solutions to improve the welfare of captive elephants and tourists’ experiences of elephant tourism, to the benefit of local communities by: Critically reviewing recent research into elephant tourism Providing contemporary analytical case studies of elephant tourism policy and practice Identifying future research priorities The Elephant Tourism Business will contribute to a better understanding of how elephant tourism is organised, regulated and promoted, both in tourist origin countries and in elephant areas. It identifies priorities for future research into elephant tourism and provides a unique, authoritative resource for researchers, elephant managers and administrators, and tourism managers in this developing area of international concern. The book will be of interest to academics and practitioners with backgrounds in conservation, environment, tourism and veterinary sciences.