Puri, Oct 20 (Reporter) As many as seventy-five iconic lighthouses located in nine coastal states and one in Union territory will be developed as tourist destinations, Union minister of state for port shipping and waterways Shantanu Thakur said. Inaugurating the 2nd annual lighthouse conclave here on Saturday, Thakur said five lighthouses of Odisha located at Puri, Gopalpur, Chandrabhaga, Paradip, and False Point have been enlisted as tourist spots. He said these will have museums, children's parks, and other tourist-related amenities. The Union Minister said efforts are on to integrate tourist circuits like cruise tourism, river and ocean tourism, and lighthouse tourism with the participation of the respective states to boost tourism. Union Minister of State for Tourism, petroleum, and natural gas, Suresh Gopi, said lighthouses are the heritage assets of our country, which carry rich histories. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this mega project of lighthouse tourism, and the tourists have expressed keen interest in visiting these lighthouses. Last year, 16 lakh visitors were recorded, and this year the number has crossed ten lakh, Gopi said. Others who addressed the conclave include Odisha deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, director general of lighthouses N Muruganandam, chairman of Paradip Port Authority P. L Haranadh, and secretary of ports, shipping, and waterways and lighthouses T K Ramachandran. The Paradip port authority organised the conclave and festival...////...