The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways seeks to unlock the tourism potential of India’s lighthouses through a public-private-partnership (PPP) model. Part of a broader Sagarmala project, the main aim is to develop 65 lighthouses into tourism hubs. Five of these lighthouses are located in Odisha and present a huge opportunity for development.
Odisha’s Lighthouse Potential
Odisha is home to five significant lighthouses: the ‘False Point’ island lighthouse, Paradip lighthouse, Gopalpur lighthouse, Chandrabhaga lighthouse, and Puri lighthouse. The ‘False Point’ island lighthouse is an adventurous tourist spot thanks to its location off the Kendrapara coast and proximity to massive crocodile-infested mangrove vegetation.
The Paradip lighthouse boasts fantastic tourism potential due to its proximity to the port town as well as Cuttack and Bhubaneswar cities. Meanwhile, the Gopalpur lighthouse in Ganjam district could attract tourists with nearby attractions like Chilika Lake and the Gopalpur beach.
Last but not least, the Chandrabhaga lighthouse, known for standing strong against severe cyclones, is situated 10 km from the world-famous Konark temple. The Puri lighthouse, located 4 km from the Shree Jagannath Temple, can capitalize on its proximity to this existing tourist site.
Lighthouse Tourism in India
India’s coastline is dotted with as many as 189 lighthouses, including those on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands. The goal behind lighthouse-based tourism is to enhance existing lighthouses and their surrounding areas, developing them into tourist destinations, maritime landmarks, and heritage precincts.
In addition to enhancing the lighthouses themselves, plans are in place to develop allied maritime infrastructure. The government intends to explore ways to develop these projects under various models, including PPP, thereby creating commercially viable interventions that make the project sustainable.
Benefits of Lighthouse Tourism
Transforming lighthouses into tourism products presents several advantages. It can attract both domestic and international tourists, creating a source of revenue for the government and employment opportunities for local people. The increase in commerce through the sale of goods and services also helps stimulate the economy.
About the Sagarmala Project
The Union Cabinet approved the Sagarmala Programme in 2015, aimed at holistic port infrastructure development along India’s 7,516-km coastline. The vision focuses on reducing logistic costs for exports and imports by modernizing ports and enhancing connectivity. It is estimated that the programme could create around 10 million new jobs and boost India’s merchandise exports to USD 110 billion by 2025.
Components of the Sagarmala Programme
The components of the Sagarmala Programme include port modernization and new port development, enhancing port connectivity, developing port-linked industrial clusters, promoting sustainable coastal community development, and providing impetus for cargo transportation via the environment-friendly coastal and inland waterways mode.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)
PPPs involve collaboration between a government agency and a private-sector company to finance, build, and operate projects. This model can accelerate the completion of a project or even make it possible in the first place. Despite potential challenges such as corrupt dealings or pay-offs to political cronies, PPPs remain a valuable tool for fostering development. Numerous models of PPPs are adopted globally including Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Own-Operate (BOO), Build-Operate-Lease-Transfer (BOLT), Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT), Lease-Develop-Operate (LDO), Operate-Maintain-Transfer (OMT), and more.
