Middelhoek, Rada (2025) Reframing Elephant Tourism in Thailand: Cultural Significance, Misconceptions, and Strategic Implications. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Sustainable Tourism and Society (STS).
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Abstract
Academic papers and media discourse from high-income countries have raised concerns about the welfare of captive elephants, often indicating they live in inadequate conditions. These statements influence the expectations and perceptions of tourists, especially those from Western countries. While elephant welfare is a critical issue, existing literature lacks the perspective from Thai communities who live and work with elephants, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the dynamics within elephant tourism. Therefore, this study explored the influences of societal factors on the development of elephant tourism in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, complemented by participatory observations in the province of Chiang Mai. The findings reveal multiple misconceptions about the tools, elephant health, cultural practices, environmental constraints, financial dependence, and legal frameworks. As elephant camps’ income relies entirely on international tourists, marketing strategies often satisfy expectations and ideals of foreigners, sometimes perpetuating misconceptions. This contributes to tensions between elephant camps as it obscures the realities faced by their employees, in particular by elephant keepers who mainly originate from ethnic minority groups, such as the Karen. The lives of these communities are deeply intertwined with the elephant and possess knowledge and experience of elephant care passed on between generations. However, due to language barriers, legal marginalization, and economic dependency, they are in a vulnerable position. This study concludes that the commercialization of elephant tourism jeopardizes the authentic culture of the Karen communities. Given the critical role of tourists in shaping the future of elephant tourism and the uncertainty of the extent to which traditional elephant handlers will be able to preserve their culture, greater awareness and inclusion of local voices are urgently needed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Name supervisor: | Muldoon, M.L. |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2025 17:04 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2025 17:04 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/757 |
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