india

Updated: Aug 28, 2019 12:58 IST

Sharing its pictures, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged people to visit the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat and hoped that those visiting the super structure will also go to the Statue of Unity.

The prime minister said he is happy to share that the water levels at the Sardar Sarovar Dam have touched a historic 134-meter mark.

“Sharing some pictures of the breathtaking view, with the hope that you will go visit this iconic place and see the Statue of Unity,” he said in a tweet.

He also pointed out that the Statue of Unity has found a place in the Time 100 greatest places 2019 list. “... few days back, a record 34,000 people visited the site in a single day. Glad that it is emerging as a popular tourist spot,” he said in another tweet.

The 182-meter tall Statue of Unity is a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Apart from the Statue of Unity, Soho House in Mumbai has been featured by the TIME magazine.

In his Independence Day speech this year, PM Modi had urged the 20-million-odd Indian tourists travelling abroad on vacation every year to visit 15 tourist destinations within the country by 2022 to give a fillip to the domestic tourism sector.

Modi said India has much to offer and if domestic tourism increases, international footfalls too will increase. “I know people travel abroad for holidays but can we think of visiting at least 15 tourist destinations across India before 2022, when we mark 75 years of independence. There might not be very good hotels, but once we start visiting these places, these destinations will improve,” the prime minister said.

The government had earlier announced that 10 “iconic sites” will be transformed into world-class destinations. In her maiden Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 17 model sites will be built by the government to encourage the tourists to visit the country

According to the UN World Tourism Organisation’s predictions, 50 million Indians will travel overseas in 2019, up from 23 million in 2017.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed.)