In Nepal's Chitwan District, the Chitwan Elephant Festival would last for five days. The event, featuring sports and beauty contests, would highlight around 50 elephants that would "bring fun, sports and adventure" in Sauraha's Chitwan National Park. This is the 13th elephant celebration in Chitwan, which has progressively helped improve its local tourism.
According to Yahoo News, the festival is set to feature sports such as elephant football and, for the first time, elephant polo. Non-elephant programs would include racing and beauty competitions. The Chitwan National Park would be open to the public to picnic and celebrate. The news website cited former Nepalese Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, stressing that the festivals "play an important role in attracting foreign tourists."
The Minister said Nepal's Chitwan district is a "pioneer hub for elephant adventures" that needs more tourists. He added further that Nepal needs more tourists from Asia and the West to boost its emerging tourism economy -- currently recovering from 2015's devastating earthquake.
According to Global Times China, Nepal's Chitwan is the third popular tourism destination after its capital Kathmandu and the popular city of Pokhara. The news website said Chitwan has about 200,000 tourists annually but the numbers were dwindling after the district suffered an immense earthquake in 2015.
Celebrating the festival annually has helped improve the park's tourist population. According to the Chitwan Elephant Festival Coordinator Suman Ghimire, tourist numbers had improved. Chitwan National Park's five-month data shows over 50,000 tourists visiting the region -- a clear sign of improvement for the district.
Aside from the enthralling elephant polo -- and football, the festival will also feature non-elephant activities including boat and cart racing competitions. The Park will also feature cultural and entertainment programs that would highlight Nepal's culture and link with its prized elephants.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
