Thailand celebrates Elephant Day, hoping tourists will return; 78 Covid-19 cases on Saturday and one death

Mahouts bring their elephants dressed to commemorate National Elephant Day for a festive breakfast of various fruits and vegetables at the Elephant Royal Kraal Village in Ayutthaya on March 13, 2021. - AFP

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand, March 13 (Reuters): Thailand held a fruit banquet for dozens of elephants in the ancient capital Ayutthaya on Saturday, continuing an annual event which has been a big draw for foreign tourists in the hope they will return soon and revive the key tourism industry.

The feast marks the country's Elephant Day, celebrating elephants as a source of national pride and cultural identity for Thailand throughout its history, used for labour, transport and in battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings.