Elephant tourism is a growing activity in many countries across Asia and Africa and is popular with tourists from all parts of the world. Elephant tourism has grown rapidly, providing the only viable way for elephants and their owners to survive since the banning of logging. Old logging camps have been developed into sanctuaries for some elephants, but many other camps were established as entertainment centres, resulting in serious welfare issues for the elephants and their mahouts. The profits from elephant tourism in Asia have encouraged African operators to follow a similar business model. This book draws attention to the need for a comprehensive and rigorous focus on local solutions to improve the welfare of captive elephants, their mahouts and local residents, and to enhance tourists' experiences of elephant tourism.

With return tickets to Bangkok, a change of clothing and accommodation booked for the first night (or so we thought!), two intrepid, middle-aged, would-be backpackers boarded the plane… With six weeks to spare, a couple of guidebooks and a craving for an adventure, we… …travelled Thailand by boats, trains, planes, motorcycles, jeeps, buses, elephants and Shank’s pony… … slept in tribal village huts, guesthouses, a hospital ward, the jeep, and found a home-away–from-home in a bamboo beach hut on the Andaman Coast… …had close encounters with elephants, monkeys, snakes, birds, crocodiles and spiders, but missed the egg-laying turtle and the small furry thing that feasted on our fruit… …met a diversity of people: the masked conductor; Long Neck women; Big Eared woman; tribal village chiefs; Mr. Happy; Terrible Tony; Dr. Doom; Supa the Silent One; the King President’s nutter and Evan the hungry monk… …having had our fill of waterfalls, temples, caves and mountains, and overdosed on a surfeit of greenery, I fell in love with potbelly bins… …Graham burnt in the sea; we sweated in the cities, froze in the mountains and survived a frenzied attack by giant hailstones… … boiled eggs in the hot springs; ate dinner cooked by the opium-smoking village chief; dined on the beach; grazed from night markets and roadside stalls, and forgot all about sandwiches… …discovered that Thailand is where distance means time; tea means anything from boiled up tree bark to chocolate-flavoured coffee; where anything we ordered meant chicken fried rice, and where ‘yes’ means ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘I don’t know’, or anything else in between!.. …from the beaches to the mountainous jungle regions; from the Himalayas to the mighty Mekhong River, we had an adventure almost every day… …saw a profusion of golden spires; gleaming white marble; smoky incense; dragons; Buddhas of every size, in gold, emerald, stone and plaster, and came across monks where we least expected them… old monks, boy monks, tall monks, short monks, Here a Monk, There a Monk... and I never, ever, touched a monk!

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.