CLAIM
Several users on Facebook and Twitter have shared an infographic which, by comparing the number of tourists who visited Taj Mahal with that of Statue of Unity’s tourists, makes the claim that the Statue of Unity earned three times the average annual turnover of Taj Mahal in the previous three years.
The infographic in question says Taj Mahal saw 7.5 lakh visitors annually, making its average annual turnover in the last three years Rs 22.3 crore. About the Statue of Unity, the infographic says the statue was visited by 26 lakh people in a year, making its revenue Rs 71.6 crore.
TRUE OR FALSE?
First of all, the tourism data of Taj Mahal is completely wrong. As per Lok Sabha data, Taj Mahal saw over 68 lakh visitors in 2018-19. Further, the annual average revenue of the monument for three years is around Rs 61.4 crore and not Rs 22.3 crore.
Regarding the Statue of Unity, as per the press release issued by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited, over 27 lakh tourists visited the monument in a year, generating a revenue of Rs 80.65 crore. Hence, the claim that the Statue of Unity generated thrice the revenue of Taj Mahal’s annual average revenue is completely false.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
A look at the official Lok Sabha data revealed that 60,88,011 tourists had visited the Taj Mahal in the year 2016-2017 which generated a revenue of Rs 49,67,89,740 crore.
The same document also mentioned that during 2017-18, as many as 64,73,628 people visited Taj Mahal which generated a revenue of Rs 56,56,77,570 crore.
In 2018-19, 68,85,124 people went to Taj Mahal and an amount of Rs 77,90,40,555 crore was amassed.
On calculating the average revenue of three years, we found that it comes out to be Rs 61,38,35,955 crore which is nearly Rs 61.4 crore.
Regarding the claims made about Statue of Unity, a press note released by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited mentioned that as many as 27,17,468 tourists visited the monuments during its first year ie, from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019.
The press release further mentions that the aggregate revenue generated in this period is Rs 80.65 crore.
Further, the revenue of both the monuments cannot be compared as the charge levied per ticket for visiting them is very different. While for Taj Mahal, it is Rs 50 per ticket for Indians and charges vary for foreigners, for Statue of Unity, it is Rs 120 per ticket.
In conclusion, the claim that Statue of Unity earned thrice the average annual revenue of Taj Mahal is absolutely false. Rs 80.65 crore generated by Statue of Unity is definitely not the thrice amount of Rs 61.4 crore, which is the average annual revenue of Taj Mahal for the last three years.
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