Central Government To Attract More Tourists To Lighthouses Across India

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said the central government is planning to attract 25 lakh tourists to lighthouses in the country in the next five years as part of a plan to transform these iconic maritime structures into vibrant tourist hotspots.After inspecting the Vizhinjam Lighthouse on Kovalam Beach in Thiruvananthapuram and chairing a stakeholders' meeting to boost lighthouse tourism in India, Sonowal said the number of tourists visiting these structures in the country was about 3.5 lakh prior to 2014, after which it increased to 17 lakh once Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiatives to promote lighthouse tourism took effect."In India, we have 203 lighthouses and after a detailed survey, we have already developed 75 lighthouses across the country. We are going to develop all the remaining lighthouses to make [them] centres of attraction for tourists," Sonowal said.The Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said that Kovalam is a big centre of tourist attraction for both domestic and international tourists. “We are going to develop the Vizhinjam Lighthouse into a major centre of attraction and we will also see how we can integrate and link tourists coming to Kovalam with this,” he said."The stakeholders' meeting was an attempt to further act to transform the Vizhinjam Lighthouse into a major tourist destination with a unique light-and-sound show.”Tourist attractions, such as the new light-and-sound show, will be developed with facilities considering every aspect of convenience, especially for the elderly and people with disablities, he added.Organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, an organisation under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the stakeholders' meeting was aimed at strategising on how to showcase the unique tourism potential of lighthouses as confluences of historical and cultural significance as well as scenic beauty.The meeting also worked on forging collaborations and partnerships among government bodies, tourism agencies, local communities, and private sector stakeholders in promoting lighthouses as tourist attractions. It also sought to highlight the potential economic benefits for local communities through increased tourism, identifying the potential challenges and barriers to promoting lighthouse tourism, and motivating stakeholders by underscoring the importance and impact of their contributions.(With inputs from PTI)