"The Statue of Unity near Kevadia has become a national pride," PM Modi said
The number of visitors to the iconic Statue of Unity near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district has crossed the 75 lakh mark, a state government official said on Tuesday.
The memorial dedicated to Sardar Patel, the tallest such structure in the world at 182 metres, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2018.
"The 182 meter tall Statue of Unity and a slew of attractions built in Ekta Nagar have drawn nearly 75 lakh tourists. Hon @PMOIndia, whose vision resulted in this majestic monument, rightly said that SOU is now on the list of globetrotters while chalking out their travel plans." Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Mines, Rajiv Kumar Gupta said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Notably, data suggests nearly 25 lakh tourists visited the grand monument within the last ten months amid the COVID-19 pandemic as the statue had touched the 50 lakh visitor mark in March last year.
On January 21, PM Modi had also taken note of this achievement in a virtual address.
"The Statue of Unity near Kevadia has become a national pride. Despite the pandemic, over 75 lakh people have so far visited the Statue of Unity. Such places will take our identity along with tourism to new heights" the PM had said.
Though the flow of visitors to the tourist spot was affected after the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, it picked up since it was reopened for the public seven months later in October.
Some of the major tourist attractions near the statue include jungle safari, river rafting, ekta nursery, cruise ride, cactus garden, glow garden, vishwa van, and valley of flowers, among others.