Vadodara: The Statue of Unity (SOU) saw record numbers of visitors in 2023, making it likely the busiest year since its 2018 opening. The tallest statue in Ekta Nagar received over 50 lakh visitors annually, the most ever for the tourism destination.

More than 46 lakh people visited the SOU in 2022, and they also enjoyed additional on-site amenities.

The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUDTGA) chief executive officer, Udit Agarwal, expressed optimism that the figure may rise even higher on New Year's Eve.

"In order to promote Ekta Nagar, new attractions have been added, and the main allures have improved. Activities like cycling and river rafting, as well as sites like Jharwani-Khalwani eco-tourism, have been introduced to encourage adventure tourism, according to Agarwal.

SOU attracted 4.5 lakh visitors in its first year, and that number skyrocketed to 27.45 lakh in 2019. Due to the site's temporary closure for many months in 2020 as a result of the Covid epidemic, the number dropped to 12.81 lakh. However, tourists descended upon the SOU once more in 2021, with a tripling of the number of visitors to nearly 34.34 lakh.  sourece: 

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The first home minister of India, Sardar Patel, is still a key draw, but other locations like the Jungle Safari, Ekta Nursery, and Glow Garden are also becoming well-liked by tourists, according to SOU officials. Almost annually, the SOU administration has been introducing new attractions.

1.75 crore people have visited SOU in the previous five years. In terms of average daily foot traffic, the site exceeded even the Statue of Liberty in the United States in 2019. In December 2019, the SOU received 15,036 daily visitors, compared to 10,000 daily visitors to the Statue of Liberty.

Tourist spots in Chamarajanagar attract 70 lakh visitors this year

This year, 22 tourism sites in the Chamarajanagar district welcomed almost 70 lakh visitors. Over 40 lakh people visited the MM Hills temple in Hanur taluk, Karnataka's second-highest revenue-generating Muzrai shrine. A significant number of foreign visitors were drawn to the K Gudi Forest safari in BR Hills. In the taluk of Gundlupet, the Himavad Gopalaswamy temple welcomed over 2.5 lakh people. The number of people visiting the district's many tourist attractions doubled when the Shakhi plan was put into place. At the MM Hills temple, the Shri Male Mahadeswara Swamy Kshethra Development Authority reported that over 50 lakh worshippers visited, bringing in Rs 63 crore in revenue.

Despite the lack of snow, there was a significant tourist influx in Shimla, with 55,345 cars arriving in the previous 72 hours. On Sunday, 12,000 cars and 65,000 tourists were counted at the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang. Shimla's temperature was still greater than New Delhi's. To ensure effective traffic management at the Atal Tunnel, local government and law enforcement are on duty around-the-clock.

Highest-ever single day visitors to zoo

On December 24, 40,761 people visited the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru, setting a record for the most visitors in a single day. On October 24, 2018, 40,675 visits set the previous record. 1,01,965 people came to the zoo between December 23 and December 25. The zoo saw 77,833 visitors last year. There were 25,860 visitors on December 23, 40,761 on December 24, and 35,344 on Monday. The Christmas festivity on Tuesday, December 26, will cause the Mysuru Zoo to close.