Maritime tourism set to get a boost! 65 lighthouses to be developed into tourism destinations

The identified lighthouses are spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (Image: Gujarat Tourism)

Lighthouse tourism in India: Lighthouse tourism in India set to get a boost! Lighthouses are an interesting tourism feature all over the world, and it is time that the feature catches up in India as well. Since lighthouses are usually located close to the coastline, they provide a scenic view of the spot to tourists. And now, the Parliament has passed the Marine Aids To Navigation 2021, which would lead to the development of lighthouses as tourist destinations. According to an Expression of Interest document of the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, 65 lighthouse sites have been identified to be developed into tourist spots in public private partnership mode.

The ministry has said that one of the lighthouses that would be transformed for this project is the Mandvi Lighthouse in Gujarat, which is built on the Mandvi Fort and overlooks the Arabian Sea from the west coast of the country. This lighthouse is located at a distance of 8km from the Mandvi Beach, and as per plans, during its development, the spot would get facilities like gardening, landscaping and seating.

Under the Marine Aids To Navigation 2021, traditional and historical values of lighthouses would be preserved as well as showcased as part of the initiative.

In the Expression of Interest, the ministry wrote that as compared to the potential India has when it comes to tourism, its gains are “relatively modest”. It added that the ministry recognised the untapped potential for tourism on the vast coastlines of the country, and it has therefore decided to open up lighthouses for tourism opportunities through the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL).

The ministry has undertaken the initiative with the objective of enhancing and developing the existing lighthouses into maritime landmark as well as unique tourist destinations, while identifying and developing the tourism infrastructure components to boost the lighthouse tourism and exploring the possibilities of undertaking these projects in the PPP mode.

The identified lighthouses are spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.