1 day ago
India Lighthouse Tourism Reaches 18.63 Lakh Visitors in 2024-25
Lighthouses help ships travel safely along the coast.
More people are visiting them: about 18.63 lakh visitors came in 2024–25, compared with about 4 lakh in 2014.
India has developed 75 lighthouses as places for tourists to visit.
The government has proposed turning 25 more into tourist destinations.
Visitors can use a new online ticketing portal.
Some lighthouse sites also have museums and festivals.
Lighthouses also host equipment that helps monitor ships and support safe navigation.
Four new lighthouses are being established along the Brahmaputra River.
Lighthouse visits rose from about 4 lakh in 2014 to 18.63 lakh in 2024–25.
Seventy-five lighthouses have been developed as tourism destinations, with 25 more proposed.
India has 205 lighthouses along a coastline stretching more than 11,000 km.
A digital ticketing portal has been launched under the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships.
Four lighthouses are being established on the Brahmaputra at a combined cost of about Rs 84 crore.
- Who
- India's Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships and the government are developing lighthouse tourism.
- What
- Lighthouse tourism reached 18.63 lakh visitors in 2024–25; 25 additional lighthouses are proposed for tourism development.
- Where
- Across India, including coastal sites and four proposed lighthouse locations along the Brahmaputra.
- When
- The reported visitor figure is for 2024–25; visitor numbers are compared with 2014.
- Why
- To open lighthouse stations to visitors while preserving their historical and architectural significance and retaining their role in safe navigation.
Tourism development
Navigation and maritime services
Expanding lighthouse roles
Tourism development
Lighthouse stations are being opened and developed as tourism destinations, with museums, festivals and digital ticketing.
Navigation and maritime services
Their enduring purpose is to help vessels navigate safely, and AIS shore stations support maritime awareness and shipping traffic management.
Key facts
- Visitors in 2024–25
- 18.63 lakh
- Visitors in 2014
- About 4 lakh
- Lighthouses developed for tourism
- 75
- Additional tourism sites proposed
- 25 lighthouses
- India's lighthouse network
- 205 lighthouses along a coastline of more than 11,000 km
- AIS shore stations
- Around 87 installed on lighthouses along the coast
- Brahmaputra lighthouse project
- Four sites at Pandu, Bogibeel, Silghat and Biswanath Ghat; combined outlay of about Rs 84 crore
Quotes
Government statement
Official statement describing lighthouse upgrades and public access.
“Today, the lighthouse is becoming much more than a distant landmark. Its first purpose remains unchanged: helping vessels navigate safely along India's coastline. Around that enduring role, however, a new chapter is taking shape. Lighthouse stations are being upgraded and opened to the public.”
thehansindia.com
“AIS is a ship and shore-based data broadcast system in accordance with SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea). It is a powerful tool for enhancing situational awareness, thereby contributing to the safety of navigation and efficiency of shipping traffic management.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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