17th Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival to be held in Sauraha
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Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival returns after a four-year hiatus, focusing on ethical practices, tourism promotion; Event to be held in Sauraha.
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The 17th Chitwan Elephant and Tourism Festival 2080 is gearing up to take place in the picturesque town of Sauraha, situated in the Chitwan district, home to Chitwan National Park, from December 26th to 30th. This event was paused for four years due to a multitude of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Regional Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan, the United Elephant Operation Cooperative Organisation, and the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal are jointly organizing this much-anticipated event.
To provide more information about the festival, a press conference was held on Friday. During this conference, it was announced that Mainahachaur would serve as the event's venue. The main goal of this event, according to the organizers, is to further boost domestic and international tourism in Sauraha.
Ganga Giri, president of the association, stated that they plan to host this festival as a means of engaging and entertaining an ever-increasing number of tourists visiting Sauraha. She also expressed optimism that this would contribute to promoting Nepal's tourism industry on a global scale.
The festival has undergone some changes due to various considerations. Following input from animal rights activists, elephant races, elephant football, and elephant polo have been removed from this year's festivities. However, both the elephant beauty contest and boat race will proceed as planned.
Additionally, the festival will feature a discussion on Chitwan's tourism potential and challenges alongside a friendly sports competition. Participants in the discussion will include local government representatives, business owners, and members of the tourism board as they explore avenues for promoting tourism within the district. This dialogue will be led by Om Prakash Pandey, the main organizing committee coordinator.
Meghauli, which is near to Sauraha in Chitwan district, has been a venue for Elephant Polo for many years. Further, Chitwan district's headquarter Bharatpur is celebrating 2024 as *Visit Bharatpur" year.