Tourists ride elephants at the Cau Treo Tourist Area in Dak Lak
Le Duc Huy, director of the Simexco Dak Lak Company which manages the tourist centre said that the service would end from February 10.
"We made the decision following the province's plan to move to elephant-friendly tourism," Huy said. "We hope that visitors to our area will still enjoy their experiences with the elephants while feeding them or posing for photos with them."
The move was made following coverage by some newspapers showing elephants at this site having to work hard transporting many visitors during the recent Tet Lunar New Year Holiday.
Authorities in the province have approved more than VND 55.40 billion (USD2.2 million) to adopt elephant-friendly tourism.
The project, which will be conducted in Buon Don and Lak districts, is scheduled to be conducted from November 2022 to December 2026 with sponsorship from the Animal Asia Foundation.
The project aims to replace elephant riding tourism with a friendly tourism model. Under the project, elephant herds will be preserved and looked after, while elephant owners will be compensated for their lower income.
