With a coastline of over 11,000 km and 205 lighthouses, India has begun reimagining these historic maritime sentinels as vibrant tourism and cultural destinations. 

The initiative gained national momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat address, had called for unlocking the tourism potential of lighthouses while preserving their heritage value. 

Aligned with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, the programme has already seen 75 lighthouses developed with modern tourist facilities across 10 states and Union Territories, leading to a sharp rise in footfall, job creation and renewed economic activity in coastal communities.

The Indian Lighthouse Festival has emerged as a key platform to showcase this transformation. The first edition, Bharatiya Prakash Stambh Utsav, was held at Fort Aguada in Goa in September 2023, marking the formal launch of lighthouse tourism as a national initiative. 

The second edition, held in October 2024 at Puri in Odisha, expanded the outreach with new lighthouse dedications and a stronger focus on community participation and heritage-led tourism. Building on this journey, the third edition at Visakhapatnam continues to celebrate India’s maritime legacy while positioning lighthouses as dynamic hubs of culture, tourism and coastal development. The festival is organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) under MoPSW.