Over 50 lakh have visited them Statue of unity so far in Kevadia, said Arvind Singh, secretary of the Union’s Ministry of Tourism, adding that once the pandemic Situation is improving, the website could expect more than one lakh visitor per day.

At the Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) annual meeting in Kevadia on Friday evening, Singh said the Taj Mahal in Agra is the country’s top tourist destination, following up to 70,000 visitors daily.

The Ministry of Tourism supports the ADTOI convention, which will take place from February 12th to 14th as part of its commitment to industry to promote the domestic tourism market.

Rupinder Brar, ADG, Department of Tourism, said Kevadia is an ideal example of how tourism can completely reverse the socio-economic situation of a region and create employment opportunities for thousands of tribesmen in and around Kevadia.

The statue of unity – dedicated to Sardar Vallabhai Patel – is the tallest statue in the world at 182 meters. In addition to the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the Zarwani Waterfalls, a number of tourist attractions have been built in the 7 km long area around the statue, including jungle safari, cactus park, children’s food park.

Regarding the convention, Singh said that this annual convention will be the first major physical event organized by a stakeholder association after the lockdown. Up to 350-400 delegates, including government dignitaries, domestic tour operators, airline officials and hoteliers, will attend the event from across the country.

Singh said, “India has a resilient domestic market that could mitigate the impact of COVID-19 compared to nations that are largely dependent on international tourists. After the lockdown and when control over the spread of the pandemic is achieved, there is broad consensus that domestic tourism will recover faster than international tourism. “

(The author was a guest of the Ministry of Tourism at ADTOI, Kevadia)