Tussauds in Delhi banks on Rs 1 crore PM Narendra Modi’s statue

NEW DELHI: London’s wax museum Madame Tussauds will be betting on PM Narendra Modi’s statue, made at a cost Rs 1 crore, to pull in the crowds, when it opens at Connaught Place in December.

Although tickets will be priced at a steep Rs 800 - 900 for adults, the operator of Madame Tussauds, Merlin Entertainments, said it is expecting daily footfalls of around 2,000 - 4,500.

Apart from Modi’s replica, around 49 other statues will provide opportunities for selfies at Madame Tussauds India. In comparison, the museum’s counterpart in London boasts around 300 wax figurines.


“We expect Bollywood to be a crowd magnet, along with our section for freedom fighters,” said Sabia Gulati, head of sales and marketing at Merlin Entertainments India.

The company expects a repeat visit of once-every-two-years in India. While in locations such as London, Bangkok and Singapore, the company depends on tourists, many of them Indians for ticket sales, in India, it will look to capitalise on the resident market — students on weekdays and families on weekends.

With global revenue of around 1,500 million British pounds, Merlin also operates other popular attractions around the world including Sea Life aquariums, London Eye and Legoland theme parks. Its modus operandi is simple — enter a market with the 250-year-old brand Madame Tussauds and then build a cluster around it comprising of the attractions mentioned above.

While Merlin Entertainment has earmarked an investment of around 50 million pounds for India over the next 10 years, Gulati said, it would look to bring in its other properties into India after studying the success of Madame Tussauds.