The 19th edition of the Elephant and Tourism Festival has officially begun today in Sauraha, one of Chitwan’s major tourist destinations. The festival, which started at the grounds of the Baghmara Buffer Zone Community Forest in Sauraha, will continue until Poush 13.
The festival was inaugurated on Friday by Bagmati Province Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya. The opening ceremony saw the participation of stakeholders from the tourism, forest and environment sectors, along with local business owners, tourism entrepreneurs, journalists, and members of the general public.
According to the organizers, the main objective of the Elephant and Tourism Festival is to increase the flow of both domestic and international tourists to Sauraha. Currently, hotel occupancy rates in Sauraha stand at around 40 percent, and it is expected that occupancy will rise by 20 to 25 percent during the festival period.
To attract more visitors, hotels and restaurants in Sauraha have also introduced various discounts on food and accommodation services during the festival. On the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board stated that elephants are not just animals, but also an integral part of Nepal’s culture and history, adding that the festival helps promote tourism while highlighting this cultural heritage.
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