The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is actively promoting Lighthouse Tourism under Section 23 of the Marine Aids to Navigation Act, 2021, aligning with the government's vision to preserve India's maritime heritage while promoting educational, cultural, and tourism purposes. While lighthouses primarily serve as Marine Aids to Navigation for ensuring safe and efficient maritime navigation, this initiative expands their utility for tourism development.
As part of this program, Lighthouse Museums have been established at seven locations: Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Alappuzha, Kannur, Muttom, Dwarka, and Gopnath to showcase the evolution of lighthouse technology and India's maritime heritage. Comprehensive tourism facilities have been developed at 75 lighthouses across the country, including cafeterias, landscaped gardens, gazebos, children's play areas, light and sound shows, internal pathways, public toilet blocks, drinking water facilities, amphitheatres, and lifts.
The state-wise distribution of the 75 lighthouses developed for tourism purposes includes: Gujarat (18 lighthouses including Mandvi, Okha, Porbandar, Dwarka, and Gopnath), Goa (Aguada Lighthouse), Karnataka (5 lighthouses including Tadri, Bhatkal, and Kaup), Kerala (11 lighthouses including Kannur, Alappuzha, and Vizhinjam), Tamil Nadu (15 lighthouses including Kanniyakumari, Chennai, Mahabalipuram, and Muttom Point), Andhra Pradesh (10 lighthouses including Ramayapatnam and Machilipatnam), Odisha (5 lighthouses including Gopalpur and Paradip), West Bengal (3 lighthouses including Sagar Island), Maharashtra (7 lighthouses including Uttan Point and Ratnagiri), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2 lighthouses at North Point and Keating Point).
This information was formally provided by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on August 11, 2026.