From March 3 to 7, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways’ Directorate of Lighthouse and Lightships is hosting a Lighthouse Photo Exhibition.
Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, Waterways, and AYUSH, will open the four-day lighthouse picture exhibition at AIFACS, 1 Rafi Marg, New Delhi, on Sunday. A stunning collection of 100 images that beautifully capture the historical significance and natural beauty of lighthouses strewn along India’s vast coastline will be on display during the event.
The purpose of the Lighthouse Photo Exhibition, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, is to promote lighthouse tourism. The goal of MoPSW is to turn every lighthouse in the nation into a tourism attraction. As a result, modern facilities are being added to the antique lighthouses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the tourism amenities built at 75 lighthouses around the nation on February 28. It was the PM’s innovative strategy for converting India’s unique lighthouses into popular tourism destinations. The project is to highlight the remarkable buildings’ rich cultural heritage, historical value, and attraction in order to increase tourism and boost the local economy.
Remarkably, in 2022–2023 there were 10.24 lakh visitors to lighthouses, compared to just 4.34 lakh in 2013–2014.
The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) under MoPSW is promoting lighthouse tourism throughout India as part of the MIV 2030 plan. Through alternate applications, this effort seeks to rejuvenate existing lighthouse facilities, with a particular focus on building maritime and history museums.
A number of lighthouses, including those in Chennai’s Alleppey and Kannur, Kerala’s Vizhinjam, Thangasseri, and Vypin, and Odisha’s Chandrabhaga, will be turned into tourist destinations as part of this project. Another goal of the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 is to build lighthouses for tourism destinations.
Through the lens of modern photography, visitors will be able to delve further into the cultural, architectural, and navigational significance of lighthouses and discover their rich past. Everyone can enter the photo show for free.