Third Indian Lighthouse Festival Opens With 44 Stalls
Altogether 44 stalls from across the country showcase handicrafts, textiles, wooden toys, paintings and regional cuisine.
Visakhapatnam:The third edition of the Indian Lighthouse Festival was inaugurated in Visakhapatnam on Friday, transforming the coastal city into a vibrant celebration of the nation’s maritime heritage.
Altogether 44 stalls from across the country showcase handicrafts, textiles, wooden toys, paintings and regional cuisine. The two-day festival follows the previous editions in Goa and Puri.
Union ports and shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal used the occasion to announce several transformative maritime initiatives for Andhra Pradesh, including a proposed Greenfield Port and National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster at Dugarajapatnam in Tirupati district; and a `305-crore Indian ship technology centre in Visakhapatnam.
Speaking at the inauguration, Sonowal emphasized that India's 205 lighthouses represented silent sentinels that have guided generations of mariners in their daily activities. "Under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, we have been working to transform lighthouses into living heritage sites," he said.
The minister highlighted the remarkable growth in lighthouse tourism, which has surged nearly 500 per cent over the past 11 years from around four lakh visitors in 2014 to several millions by now.
During the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, 70 lighthouses were dedicated with modern tourist facilities across 10 states and union territories, with 10 of the 75 developed lighthouse tourism sites located in Andhra Pradesh.
Former vice president Venkaiah Naidu, addressing the gathering, praised the ministry's efforts in developing 75 lighthouses as tourist destinations. "Lighthouse tourism infrastructure has grown remarkably from six sites to 75 sites, and the visitors have increased from four lakhs to 20 lakhs," he stated.
Special chief secretary M.T. Krishnababu highlighted the historical significance of the Santapalli Lighthouse, established in 1840, describing it as one of the oldest lighthouses in India and the oldest in AP.
Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh noted that AP is home to 17 lighthouses, including prominent ones in Machilipatnam and Kakinada. Under CM Chandrababu Naidu's leadership, multiple tourism initiatives are being promoted, including cruise tourism from Visakhapatnam Port and temple tourism across the state, he said.
