Elephant Back Safari Tourism in Sri Lanka: a Critique

Abstract

The Elephant Tourism in Sri Lanka dates back to the British period where the British rulers used to hunt down the elephants as a sport (gaming tourism). Also, in ancient Sri Lanka, elephants were kept in captivity for centuries for domestic purposes including transportation and religious. Tourism has become a key contributor to the modern development of Sri Lanka. Thus, the authorities are looking at alternative modes in promoting Sri Lanka tourism to maximize the economic returns of it. Elephant Back Safari (EBS) tourism is one of the popularizing tourism products in Sri Lanka where there is a significant demand available among the foreign tourists. The problem central to this study evolves in this scenario. This paper examines the case of EBS tourism in both Pinnawala and Habarana tourist destinations. Observations, interviews and discussions were the primary data collection tools for this study. Descriptive writings were used to analyze the findings. Whilst tourists have mixed feelings about EBS tourism in general, they do not mind having a ride on the largest animal on the land. For many tourists an elephant ride is a "must to do" when they visit Asia. Although EBS has been regularized in Sri Lanka most of the operators are not fully adhered to the conditions in it. For example, number of carrying passengers are exceeded, the elephant sheds are not well kept, and inappropriate elephants are used in EBS. Also, the ways elephants are trained, fed and looked after, qualifications of the mahouts, lack of trained elephants, and lack of information available are subject to a great debate in promoting EBS in Sri Lanka. However, ever growing. Consequently, anthropologists, economists, environmentalists, and sociologists must develop a better framework to develop Sri Lankan EBS sector in a sustainable manner. Keywords: Elephant Back Safari, tourism, sustainable tourism, tourist destinations, mahouts