Chinese travel firms to halt selling elephant tours
Three prominent travel companies in China are the first in the country to take a stand against animal tourism ‘torture.’
Beijing-based Caissa Touristic said it will stop marketing elephant rides and elephant entertainment shows across Asia, including Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
According to the company’s assistant president Ge Mu, about 100,000 tourists partake in elephant tourism activities or watch shows each year, and accounts for 40% of all tourism programmes in Southeast Asia.
Travel websites fxtrip.com and zanadu.com also promised to sell only ‘elephant-friendly’ tours
Elephants ‘suffer from multiple forms of torture’ due their daily schedule serving tourists, said Zheng Yu, wildlife campaign manager at World Animal Protection.
A recent World Animal Protection report said the number of elephants used for entertainment purposes for tourists in Thailand has risen by about 30%.
Globally about 160 tourism companies have so far stopped offering elephant tourism programmes and one-off elephant attractions.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
United Airlines to be the sole US airline to fly to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City from October
Iberia adds new US, Latin America routes
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
RX launches WTM Spotlight with an inaugural event in Saudi Arabia
What’s new on Route 66 in Arizona