Empty beaches and low prices: Why there’s never been a better time to visit Thailand

Thailand fully reopened to tourists in June (the same month the government legalised recreational cannabis), but visitor numbers remain low

“It’s been a difficult two years,” said Beebee Bonsook, my guide at Elephant Nature Park, near Chiang Mai. “Most of our funding comes from visitors and, with no foreign tourists during Covid, we had to find support elsewhere. But now things are finally looking up.”

Founded in 2003, the park is basically a retirement home for elephants. Across Thailand, around 3,500 of the gentle giants are still forced to work in circuses and riding camps, and the Save Elephant Foundation behind it persuades (or pays) owners to move their creatures here. It has grown from 50 acres to more than 500, with 116 residents ranging in age from six months to 94 years.

“Elephants are not meant to be obedient,” said Beebee, as a pair ambled past us to the river. “So owners break their spirit, using chains, or hooked poles. That’s why so many of our elephants have scars on their trunk and legs. Many are mentally traumatised, too. We slowly introduce them to other elephants, and they build new family groups where older matriarchs teach the younger ones how to behave.”

Animal tourism – once big business in Thailand, with foreigners paying to ride elephants or watch them perform – has fallen from favour in recent years, with visitors increasingly aware of welfare issues. This has created the need for sanctuaries like the Elephant Nature Park. Covid travel restrictions (Thailand had, until relatively recently, some of the most strict rules for inbound visitors), as well as hindering funding, further increased demand for its services. Many owners, devoid of custom, were simply unable to pay for the 300kg of food that an elephant needs each day, and the park took in 46 animals over the past two years.