The Elephant Tourism Business (Hardcover)
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 centers, 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