NEW DELHI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Over 15,000 people visited India's Statue of Unity per day in the first year since it was unveiled, surpassing the daily number of visitors to New York's Statue of Liberty which stands at around 10,000.
The Statue of Unity was built in India's western state of Gujarat to memorize India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, popularly known as Sardar Patel or "Iron Man of India."
The 182-meter tall statue, located near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river Narmada in Gujarat state, is said to be the world's tallest.
Designed by an Indian sculptor, the project was first announced in 2010, and wa unveiled on Oct. 31, 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A statement issued by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited said this year the Statue of Liberty has seen a daily average of 15,036 visitors and 22,430 on weekend days.
The rise in footfall at the Indian monument was attributed to the addition of several new tourist attractions such as Jungle Safari, Children's Nutrition Park, Cactus Garden, Butterfly Garden, Ekta Nursery, Dino Trail, River Rafting, Boating, alongside multiple budget accommodation options.
"These additional tourist attractions have led to a sharp increase in the daily tourists' footfall during November 2019," the statement said, adding that a total of nearly 3.1 million tourists visited the Indian statue till Nov. 30 this year, generating a total income of 85.57 crore Indian Rupees (12.2 million U.S. dollars).
