Lighthouse Tourism in India: Transforming Coastal Heritage into Tourist Hubs

India with 7500 Kilometre long coastline and 204 lighthouses is turning these emblematic buildings into tourist places according to the developmental policy vision. This effort aims at the evaluation of their historical and/or architectural importance in supporting economic developments as well as community reforms.

Lighthouse tourism combines aspects of landscape and environment; including seascapes, beaches, naval and coastal history, recreational pursuits and sports. Being a project of “Maritime India Vision 2030” & “Amrit Kaal Vision 2047”, its focus is to promote tourism, cultural heritage along with employment opportunities. They include scenic reputations, cultural attractions, adventure factors, and tour’s economic contribution.

On the 4th of February 2024 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated 75 modern lighthouses which drew 16 lakh visitors in 2023-24 a 400% increase over 2014. Endorsement of these initiatives is further complemented by annual festivals along with stakeholder meets supported under the private partnerships under Sagarmala Programme.

In the future, sustainable practices, incorporation of coastal circuit, awareness, and skill development in the communities will be the driving force of this approach which plans the integration of heritage conservation with tourism development.

Key Points

• India with 7500 KM of coastal length has about 204 lighthouses which are combination of history and nature.

• Instead, the government is repurposing these lighthouses for tourism purposes in order to both retain aesthetic and historical significance and foster economic growth within the areas in which the structures are located.

What is Lighthouse Tourism?

• Includes the attempts to turn lighting structures into tourist attractions as centers of maritime history, beauty, and recreation.

• As part of the Master Plan of Integrated Development of Tourism Industry in India MIV 2030 with an endorsement of Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 lighthouse tourism will act as a means of civilizational enrichment and sustainable tourism.

Opportunities of Lighthouse Tourism

• Strategic Locations: Shorelines and island geographical locations.

• Cultural Importance: Most are several hundreds of years of old and just a short distance form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Recreation: Trekking along with boating and water activities are the special facility provided by it.

• Economic Growth: Promotes the local economies, from employment opportunities for hospitality, Transportation and handcrafted products.

Government Initiatives

• Development of 75 Lighthouses

  • ₹60 crore investment.

  • Present day structures like museums, amphitheaters and parks and gardens.

  • Doubling the number of tourists from 4,00,000 in 2014 to 16,00,000 in 2023-24.

• Indian Lighthouse Festival

  • Biennial convention for lighthouse tourism.

  • Established in February 2023 at Fort Aguada tourism, Goa.

• Stakeholder Engagement

  • Organized meetings in States like Kerala & Odisha for framing plans of further lighthouse tourism.

• Private Partnerships

  • It is on this basis that the Sagarmala Programme policy was formulated to working closely with relevant private actors to ensure compliance with international best practice and sustainability.

Way Forward

• Emphasize on environmental conservation and especially use of environmentally friendly products.

• Linked with the toursim circuits of coastal areas.

• Public enlightenment programs for the domestic and international markets.

• Human resources development of local communities.

Conclusion

Lighthouse tourism is a blend of preservation of lighthouses and development of coastal areas and sustainable tourism. The distinct beacon-lit lighthouses offer opportunities in tourism, preserving history, embracing adventure, and splendor, in turn, embracing a new paradigm of India’s modern independent and pro urlString Journal of Tourism Futures 6 (2018): 8–33*spicient maritimBitte beachten Sie, dass Abstracts in Englisch original, also mit ü Hellwinkel und durch Punkte getrennten Sätze geschrieben werden sollen.