However, TripAdvisor stated that listing an attraction does not represent their ‘endorsement of that establishment’ and that tours booked through its subsidiary, Viator, go through a pre-screening process.

Now the company has changed its stance by stopping the sales of tickets to such attractions altogether.

In a statement, the company announced that the policy will affect attractions ‘where tourists come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species’.

This is a welcome move and hopefully other tour operators will follow suit. The Surin Elephant festival is a classic example of tourists being encouraged to spend money at an event where animals endure unspeakable cruelty with the public being blissfully unaware of what is going on.

The case of the monk-run tiger sanctuary which was closed last year after it was found that tigers were being beaten and also bred to be sold for Chinese “medicines”is another famous example of animal cruelty in the Kingdom.

On a similar note, tourists to Thailand need to be made aware of the plight of the street elephants.These poor creatures are made to trudge city streets at night so that ignorant tourists can be photographed feeding an elephant.

What in fact is happening is that your 20 baht buys cheap sugar cane based crap that often leads to diabetes in these magnificent animals. Their handlers are not trained mahoots and usually they merely rent the elephants and show little concern for their well-being.