Statue of Unity: Revenue soars, tourists to exceed

7.5 crore per annum by 2020...

After the Statue of Unity generated in November a

revenue of Rs 6.38 crore from 2.79 lakh tourists , about
30,000 tourists are flocking to the site of the statue every
day even in December.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue, the tallest in the

world, stands tall in a river valley in Gujarat’s Narmada
district. It is fast becoming one of the top tourist
attractions of fthe country. The statue, conceived by the
then chief minister of Gujarat and current Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in 2010, pays tribute to Independent
India’s first Home Minister who was instrumental getting
562 princely states to accede to the Indian Union after
Independence. By 2020, the number of tourists the site
will witness per annum will exceed 7.5 crore.
While Larsen & Toubro has been awarded a
maintenance contract of Rs 657 crore for 15 years,
about 60,000 tourists out of the 2.79 crore visited
the Statue of Unity from other states between
Diwali and the end of November.

As of now, the rate of footfall is 5 crore tourists per

annum. "In the last five years, Gujarat tourism has
been witnessing year-on-year growth of 17 per cent
in footfalls with the count of visitors touching 5
crore last year," Tourism Corporation of Gujarat
Limited's manager Sanatan Pancholi said.

With the addition of Statue of Unity and other

tourist attractions, Gujarat will touch 75 million
footfalls by 2020, considering the marketing
campaigns launched by the state government in
the domestic sector," he said....
"Over two lakh tourists, most of them domestic
travellers, have already visited the Statue of Unity
since its launch. There is curiosity and it is also a
moment of pride for ever Indian to see something
like this in the country," Pancholi said.

The statue would be an added attraction for

tourists who come to Gujarat. It is a part of
'destination tourism', which would be extensively
marketed in foreign countries apart from the
domestic sector, he said.
"Gujarat tourism is concentrating on the domestic

on the domestic market and it is working wonders

for us," he said, expressing hope that more

foreign tourists will also visit the statue, which is

touted as the tallest in the world....

Statue of Unity: Sardar

Patel's statue attracts
more than 1.28 lakh
visitors in 11 days
Since opening for the public on November 1, the

182-metre tall Statue of Unity in Narmada

district of Gujarat has attracted more than 1.28

lakh tourists, officials said.

A huge rush of tourists was seen during the
weekend, with over 50,000 people visiting the
world's tallest statue at Kevadiya village on
Saturday and Sunday alone (November 10- 11),
they said.
"Since November 1, when the statue opened for
the public, we have recieved around 1.28 lakh
tourists (till Sunday)," Superintending Engineer
of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL)
R G Kanungo said.
Over 24,000 tourists visited the site Sunday and
more than 27,000 Saturday, he said.

Statue of Unity—visiting hours increased

as large number of tourists visit daily

The Statue of Unity in the Indian state of Gujarat has been pulling
huge crowds since its inauguration, so now the Gujarat Government,
along with the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Ekta Trust and the Statue
of Unity administration has decided to increase its visiting hours.
The tallest statue in the world now has an extended two hours
visiting time.

Visiting hours to the Statue of Unity has now been extended by two
hours in the following manner – one hour in the morning and one
hour in the evening. According to reports, almost 10,000 tourists
visit the Statue of Unity daily, and on holidays and weekends the
number soar to almost 15,000.

The visiting hours to the statue now starts from 8 am and ends at 6
pm. Earlier, the timing was 9 am to 5 pm. The incredible statue
stands at a height of 182-m high, and is one of the
prime attractions of Gujarat now, which offers stunning views of the
Narmada Valley, Satpura and Vindhya Mountains, and the Sardar
Sarovar.

According to authorities, people visiting the statue like to take the

lift to go up and enjoy the surrounding views, but unfortunately not
all can go up, as approximately only 5,000 can go up to the viewing
gallery. Now with increased time, more visitors can be
accommodated at the viewing gallery.

The Statue of Unity is located in Narmada district of Gujarat, and

attracted more than 1.28 lakh tourists in the first 11 days after its
inauguration.

Gujarat government launches industrial tourism to

showcase development

In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Gujarat government is

promoting a tour package covering major industrial installations which
have earned global acclaim for the state.
Some of the major attractions of this recently launched tour package
include a visit to Tata Nano plant in Sanand, Pipavav portNSE -3.22 %
near Amreli, Alang ship breaking yard in Bhavnagar and Amul Dairy in
Anand.

The package, called Industrial Tour of Gujarat, has been offered by city-
based Akshar Travels Pvt Ltd, official partner of state-run tourism agency
Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL), which is promoting the tour
on its website.

Tourism sector: Gujarat Scenario

Gujarat has over 3500 years of history, natural &
cultural delights, beaches, fairs & festivals,
temples, spiritual sites coupled with the warmth &
hospitality of its people

Gujarat is bestowed with great geographical

diversity
1.Ethereal Salt-Encrusted Desert
2.Expansive Wetlands
3.Pristine Beaches
4.Languid Valleys
5.Arid Grasslands
6.Lush Forests
Tourist Flow
Tourist footfalls in Gujarat is growing fast with Gujarat
Tourism sector performing better than country average

Tourist Footfall (in millions)

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Top-draw destinations that account for over
40%of tourist flow:
Ahmedabad, Ambaji, Dwarka,
Surat and Vadodara

Khushboo Gujarat Ki :
‘KhushbooGujarat Ki‘ campaign by Mr. Amitabh
Bachchanhas reinforced Gujarat as a tourist
destination and contributed to the increasing
tourist flow into the State.
Diverse Tourist Attractions:
Economic Overview:
Gujarat has seen rapid economic growth over the past
decade. Driven by massive investment and rapid
industrialization, Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of
Gujarat increased at a CAGR of 13.55 per cent between
2011-12 and 2016-17 to reach Rs 11.62 trillion (US$ 173.24
billion) during 2016-17. Gujarat has achieved the distinction
of being one of the most industrially developed states and
contributes about a quarter to India’s goods exports.
Accounting for about 4.99% of the country’s population and
5.97% of land area, the state has metamorphosed into one
of the fast growing state economies, overcoming its
limitations in resource base and its climatic constraints.

Tourism Overview:
Gujarat offers a wide range of the most spectacular attractions
which includes breathtaking locations and scenic landscapes.
Gujarat is also a melting pot of several civilizations resulting in a
vibrant culture and a rich heritage. Gujarat is home to the unique
with its exceptional archeological sites, several architectural
marvels and witnesses of its glorious history and pilgrim centres
for many faiths. Finally, it is also the land of several mythological
and historical figures like the legendary Krishna and Mahatma
Gandhi the apostle of non violence. Gujarat has immense
potential to become a major tourist destination. Its historical
monuments represents the great religions of Asia – Hindu,
Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, Parsee and Sikh. For ecotourists the state
offers opportunities to see a wide range of wildlife including the
Asiatic Lion and Indian Wild Ass, endangered antilopes, a variety
of deer etc. It has India’s first marine national park. It is also one
of India’s most important areas for birdwatchers. There are more
than 400 archeological sites in the state including some of the
most substantial excavations of Indus Valley Civilization period at
Lothal (near Ahmedabad), Surakotada and Dholovira (in Kutch).
The archeological zone of Champaner –Pavagadh have been
acclaimed by UNESCO as the “World Heritage Site” because of its
great mosques, temples, stepwells and forts. The recent tag of
being the first city in India under UNESCO as “World Heritage
City” will go a long way to reinforce tourism in the State. Gujarat
has many enchanting tourist places, memorable historic
monuments and sacred pilgrimages, depicting the glorious
cultural heritage, which can attract both Indian and International
travelers. The State has important pilgrimage places like Dwarka,
Somnath, Dakor, Ambaji etc for Hindus, Udwada, Navsari and
Surat for Parsees, Palitana, Girnar etc for Jains.
Trend in Tourist Arrival :

Since then, it has attracted on average 8,500 tourists per day, Modi told
the gathering.

"Kevadiya and Gujarat are on the world tourism map because of the
Statue of Unity. I am told over 23 lakh tourists from India and across the
world have visited this place in the last 11 months. On average, around
8,500 persons come here. And, I am informed that the number swelled to
34,000 on Janmashtami (August 24)," the PM said

According to the officials here, the Statue of Unity gets

maximum footfall on weekends.
In the first 11 days of its opening, over 1,28,000
tourists visited the site, with the maximum number of
people visiting during the weekends. On the week-end
during the initial days, the number was about 50,000.

The government is adding several additional

attractions, such as the recently-started 5-km river
rafting ride, to woo tourists.

Other recently added attractions include the Butterfly

Park, Jungle Safari Park and Children Nutrition Park.
The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat provides tents for
stay in the area.

According to details shared by Gujarat Tourism

Department official, total tourist footfalls at the Statue
of Unity so far is around 26 lakh. The total amount of
money earned through selling ticket is over Rs 57
crore. The figure is collected during the period of
November 1, 2018, to September 12, 2019. In the
previous year, total tourist footfalls across Gujarat was
5.75 crore. Total Non-resident Indian (NRI) and foreign
tourist footfalls was at 12.35 lakh for the last one year,
Gujarat Tourism Department official told Financial
Express Online.

According to details shared by Gujarat Tourism

Department official, total tourist footfalls at the Statue
of Unity so far is around 26 lakh. The total amount of
money earned through selling ticket is over Rs 57
crore. The figure is collected during the period of
November 1, 2018, to September 12, 2019. In the
previous year, total tourist footfalls across Gujarat
was 5.75 crore. Total Non-resident Indian (NRI) and
foreign tourist footfalls was at 12.35 lakh for the
last one year, Gujarat Tourism Department official
told Financial Express Online.

"Gujarat has registered 17 per cent year-on growth in tourism with a total
5.2 crore tourists visiting the state in 2017. The Statue of Unity will
help in achieving considerable growth in arrival of tourists to Gujarat," he
said.

Along with the Statue of Unity, Gujarat Tourism has added many
attractions nearby for sight-seeing. Two tent cities have been created
along the backwater lakes of the Narmada dam reservoir for tourists who
want to stay there.
Among the prime attractions at the site is a viewers gallery inside the
statue located at a height of 135 metres with a capacity to accommodate
200 persons at a time.

High-speed lifts installed there are capable of taking 5,000 people per day
to the viewing gallery, which offers a panoramic glimpse of the
surrounding areas.