Port Blair Oct 14: In a bold move to place the Andaman & Nicobar Islands on the global adventure tourism map, the Administration is charting a course to set three Guinness World Records in scuba diving, positioning the Islands as a premier diving hub in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific. Under this ambitious initiative, exclusive diving circuits are being planned around the Button Islands (North, South & Middle), the Barren Island — South Asia’s only active volcano — and the azure waters of Swaraj Dweep, creating a world-class underwater experience unlike any other in Asia.
Announcing the plans at the ‘One State, One Global Destination’ Conclave chaired by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in Udaipur, the Lt. Governor, Admiral (Retd.) D.K. Joshi, said the Islands are poised to redefine diving tourism standards and become an iconic destination for ocean explorers. He highlighted the region’s post-COVID tourism resurgence and noted that domestic tourist arrivals have surged by nearly 200% and international arrivals by 157% since 2022. The Administration, he added, is also working on a Heritage Tourism Circuit connecting the Cellular Jail, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Viper Island, Chatham Island, and Manipur Parvat, aligned with global benchmarks and developed through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models.
The Lt. Governor further emphasized that flagship infrastructure projects — including five-star eco-resorts, Greenfield airports at Great Nicobar and Port Blair, seaplane operations, cruise tourism, and an upgraded helicopter and ship fleet — will together usher in a new era of sustainable, world-class tourism in the archipelago.
