The festival, which is expected to attract 20,000 visitors, will feature 10 percent discounts on hotels and restaurants, various competitions, and exhibitions on the importance of elephants and tourism.
What you should know
The Elephant and Tourism Festival, which is held every year to promote tourism in the tourist city of Sauraha, will be held from December 21 to 23 this year.
The festival is being organized by the Regional Hotel Association Nepal Chitwan and co-organized by the United Elephant Operation Cooperative. The organizers have stated that this year's Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival, which began in 2055 BS, will include programs such as elephant grooming competitions, elephant forest feasts, elephant health camps, and information about elephant routines.
According to festival coordinator Gunaraj Thapaliya, there will be municipal-level boat racing competitions, elephant-friendly competitions, and elephant, jeep, and boat safaris for guests to promote safari tourism. He informed that 80 elephants will participate in the festival.
Coordinator Thapaliya said that programs including interaction on Chitwan's tourism, possibilities, and challenges, various competitions will be held. According to him, a painting competition, a school-level oratory competition on the importance of elephants in human-wildlife coexistence, ecotourism, and conservation, and message-based materials by conservationists, environmentalists, and pre-conservation officers on the importance of elephants will be displayed.
The organizers have estimated that the festival will see a 25 to 30 percent increase in tourist arrivals. According to coordinator Thapaliya, the Regional Hotel Association and members affiliated with Rewan Sauraha have agreed to provide a 10 percent discount on accommodation and food in hotels and restaurants for guests who come during this period.
Regional Hotel Association Chairman Om Prakash Pandey informed that there will be 25 stalls (rooms) with various materials at the festival. Stating that 20,000 visitors are expected to visit the festival during that period, he said that it is unimaginable without elephants for the development of safari tourism in Chitwan, which is the tourism capital of biodiversity and wildlife.
The main entrance to the Chitwan National Park is Sauraha. Tourists visiting the park and the buffer community forest stay in hotels here. This park is famous in the world for safaris. The organizers have stated that the festival is held at this time every year to increase tourism activities during the period when fewer tourists come. The organizers expect this to promote tourism as well as create employment opportunities.
