Elephant Help Foundation wins BGTW Best Overseas Tourism Venture Awards 2003

The Elephant Help Foundation, a project based in Phuket and started in 1998 to assist in improving conditions for elephants used in the trekking and logging industry in Thailand, recently won the British Guild of Travel Writers' (BGTW) Best Overseas Tourism Venture Award 2003.

"This award is a great honor that will further stimulate efforts to care of about 300 elephants used for trekking or logging," said Mr Sam-Erik Ruttmann, chairman of the Foundation and also general manager of the Dusit Laguna Resort. 

"We are also doing this for the success of sustainable tourism in Phuket and nearby provinces, by contributing to responsible tourism and seeking benefits for the local communities involved."

The Foundation aims within a couple of years' time to have four full-time vets, eight assistants and four elephant mobile clinics. A fund-raising target to raise US$ 400,000 will be earmarked for vehicles, operating equipment, and a permanent office for the Foundation. Its annual operating expenses are estimated to be around US$ 350,000, which is to be funded through grants and fund-raising activities.