page_title: Tourism in India by state
section_title: Tamil Nadu
hierarchical_section_title: Tourism in India by state / Tamil Nadu
caption_attribution_description: English: A view of Marina Beach, Tamilnadu
context_page_description: Tourism in India is economically very important and is growing rapidly. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹14.02 lakh crore or 9.6% of the nation's GDP in 2016 and supported 40.343 million jobs, 9.3% of its total employment. The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.8% to ₹28.49 lakh crore by 2027. Various states and union territories of India attract tourists due to diversity among them.
context_section_description: Tamil Nadu was the most visited tourist destination by both Indian and International tourists in 2014 with over 320 million domestic visits and 4.6 million foreign visits. It has places of historical, cultural and architectural significance. Tourism in Tamil Nadu is promoted by Ministry of Tourism by the state government with a logo enchanting Tamil Nadu. TTDC promotes tourism in the state by arranging various functions and events. The capital city of Tamil Nadu -Chennai- is the only place in India to be listed in "52 places to go around the world" by "The New York Times". Marina beach in Chennai is the second longest beach in the world and Chennai is home to numerous historic temples and parks. Chennai is also nicknamed as the Gateway of South India.
  Temples
  The state has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites which include the Great Living Chola Temples and Mahabalipuram. Archaeological sites with civilisation dating back to 3800 years have been discovered in Tamil Nadu. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Mahabalipuram sea shore temples were built by rulers of Pallava dynasty and depicts remarkable art and architecture. The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur was built in 1010 A.D. Other major temples include Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Arunachaleswara Temple. All these temples showcase Dravidian architecture which prevailed during the ancient period.
  The six abodes of Lord Murugan are situated in Tamil Nadu.
  Sanctuaries and national parks
  The Western Ghats is one of the eight hottest biodiversity hotspots in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mangrove forests of Pichavaram are the second largest in the world and the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 10,500 km² of ocean, islands and the adjoining coastline including coral reefs, salt marshes, mangroves and is home to endangered aquatic species including dolphins, dugongs, whales and sea cucumbers. The wetlands attract numerous migratory birds from Europe and America. The state government has established 13 bird sanctuaries to protect the birds from poaching and hunting. The state also has various bird sanctuaries including 13 established bird sanctuaries The state is home to one of the largest populations of endangered Indian elephant and Bengal tiger. The region is home to one-third of the tiger population and more than half of the elephant population of India. There are four Project Tiger reserves and four Project Elephant reserves in the state which include Anamalai, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai. Other threatened and endangered species found in the region include grizzled giant squirrel, grey slender loris, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque, and Indian leopard. Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of mainland India provides scenic view of sunset and sunshine over the Indian Ocean. Water falls like Hogenakkal Falls and wildlife sanctuaries are located across the state.
  Hill stations
  Ooty, Kodaikanal and Yercaud are well-known hill stations. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a mountain railway built in 1908, and operated by a fleet of steam locomotives. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site Mountain Railways of India.
  Medical tourism
  The state is a popular destination for medical tourism and the cities of Chennai and Coimbatore house some of Asia's premier hospitals.
caption: Marina Beach in Chennai as seen from light house
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