Statue of Unity stands tall

After being unveiled on October 31, 2018, the Statue of Unity — world’s tallest statue — has seen an unsurpassed number of tourists in one year, recording a total of 27,17,468 tourist arrivals till October 31, 2019.

TT Bureau

Ever since the Statue of Unity was dedicated to the nation last year on the eve of the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, there has been a constant rush of tourists to the attraction, according to a report by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam. A total of 27,17,468 tourists visited Statue of Unity during its first year from November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2019. The number had escalated to 29,32,220 tourists till November 10 this year.

In fact, a total of 2,91,640 tourists out of the total, which is approximately 10 per cent, visited during the recent Diwali festival alone. An average number of tourists per day during Diwali holidays has been recorded at 22,434 as against the 14,918 per day during last year’s Diwali season.

Owing to the development of more sites and attractions in the area including Sardar Sarovar Dam, Valley of Flowers, Butterfly Park, Wall of Unity, as well as a laser light and sound show on Sardar Patel, the destination is seeing an increase of 50.4 per cent tourists per day. Overall, the average number of tourists is recorded as 9,063 per day, whereas on normal working days, it is 7,030 per day and on weekends, it is 13,071 per day. The aggregate income generated so far has been ₹80.65 crore.

Recently, new adventure activities like river rafting, cycling, and boating have been developed at Kevadia, and have received an overwhelming response from the youth, as thousands enjoy benefits of the same. In addition to these, activities like night trekking, wall climbing, a two-way zip line, etc., have also been developed at Zarwani eco-tourism site.

The main road and all the projects are illuminated at night with colourful and theme-based lighting. A unique ‘Glow Garden’ with illuminated plants and animals has become a major attraction and, on an average, 4000 to 5000 people visit to see its beauty. As a result, Kevadia has been become an unmatched destination for tourists.