Nepal\u2019s annual Elephant Festival 2018<\/strong> kicked off in Sauraha, a tourism hub in the southwest of Chitwan district, on December 27, 2018.<\/p>\n The 15th<\/sup> edition of the festival made a grand start with nearly around 100 elephants participating in the festival on the first day.<\/p>\n President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the festival amid the presence of government officials, tourism entrepreneurs, and around 100 visitors.<\/p>\n The festival took an amazing start with 15-minute-long elephant football sport. In her inaugural address, the President highlighted the role of the elephant festival in Nepal tourism<\/a>, besides their significance in Nepali culture<\/a> and religion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nepali Minister for Culture and Tourism Rabindranath Adhikari also participated in the inaugural event.<\/p>\n “Elephant festival has been included in our annual tourism calendar as the much-celebrated international event. I believe that it will contribute in attracting more number of foreign tourists in the country,” said the Tourism Minister.<\/p>\n Nepal Elephant Festival is known for its mark in joy alongside promoting the meaningful aspect of human-wildlife relation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The #ChitwanElephantFestival<\/strong> also stands for wildlife protection and conservation, and also speaks the importance of the festival in promoting Nepal tourism.<\/p>\n “We have been organizing this festival annually to enhance human-wildlife relations,” says the festival coordinator Suman Ghimire<\/span>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The festival includes wide range of activities including elephant football, elephant bath, elephant walk, elephant picnic, and elephant beauty contest, among others.<\/p>\n The annual elephant festival began a few years ago and Chitwan, known as one of the leading hubs for elephant adventure, has been hosting the festival right from the first edition.<\/p>\n Besides special performances by elephants, the festival also includes cultural procession, musical programs, ethnic dances and stalls of a wide variety of Nepali foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n