Now, lighthouse tourism
The Ministry of Tourism will develop 78 lighthouses for tourism as part of its plan to develop infrastructure as well as bring favourable policy interventions to encourage tourism.
The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has identified 78 lighthouses (44 land-based and 34 island-based) which will be further developed to attract domestic and international tourists. This was announced by
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Government of India, during the recently-held Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai.
With an extensive coastline and inland waterways, India has significant opportunities for maritime tourism. The Ministry of Shipping is working with the concerned ministries (Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, etc.), state governments and other relevant agencies towards capitalising on this opportunity. Consequently, many new initiatives are being taken for development of various coastal and marine-based tourism projects such as development of lighthouses, cruise shipping and riverine cruises.
The Indian coastline is dotted with as many as 189 lighthouses, including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. Steeped in rich maritime heritage, each lighthouse has a tremendous tourism potential. Dr. Sharma said, “The Ministry of Shipping through the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) has drawn up an ambitious programme for developing tourism in the land adjacent to 78 lighthouses – in the first phase, under Public Private Partnership (PPP). The key objective of this initiative is to develop the existing lighthouses and their surrounding areas into a unique tourism destination and as a maritime landmark. Development of hotels, resorts, viewing galleries, adventure sports, thematic restaurants and allied tourism facilities will convert these into tourism destina- tions.” To accelerate growth, the government has undertaken many initiatives such as providing financial assistance to various agencies, including to the ports and lighthouses.
The Ministry of Shipping has drawn up a programme for developing tourism in the land adjacent to 78 lighthouses