Ministry of Shipping launched a programme to develop 78 Lighthouses as tourism centers

In Uncategorized
October 14, 2015

The Ministry of Shipping, along with the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) has drawn up an ambitious programme to develop 78 lighthouses in the country as centres of tourism in the first phase under Public Private Partnership (PPP). The identified lighthouses are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The land adjacent to these lighthouses may have hotels, resorts, viewing galleries, maritime museums and heritage museums, adventure sports facilities, thematic restaurants, souvenir shops, LASER shows, spa & rejuvenation centers, amphitheaters and allied tourism facilities to attract the tourists, subject to viability and necessary clearances.

The DGLL has already invited Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from prospective and potential developers for eight Lighthouses at Aguada (Goa), Chandrabhaga (Odisha), Mahabalipuram, Kanya Kumari and Muttom (Tamil Nadu), Kadalur Point (Thikkodi, Kerala), Kanhoji Angre and Sunk Rock (Maharashtra) and Minicoy (Lakshadweep). An Expression of Interest (EOI) has also been issued by DGLL for another 70 lighthouses.

The Ministry of Shipping and DGLL intend to promote lighthouses across India as tourism destinations and means of promoting Lighthouse Tourism in India with the following key objectives:

To enhance and develop the existing Lighthouses and their surrounding areas into unique tourism destinations and Maritime Landmarks.
To identify and develop possible tourism infrastructure components to facilitate promotion of tourism at Lighthouse premises.
To explore the possibilities of developing these projects under PPP by integrating commercially viable interventions at the feasible locations in order to make the project viable.

The DGLL has successfully developed 4 lighthouses as tourist attraction centres at Madras and Mahabalipuram Lighthouses in Tamil Nadu & the Alleppy and Cannanore Lighthouses in Kerala, which have been garnering substantial tourist footfall.