Tamil Nadu government to regulate tourism industry investments

The Tamil Nadu government plans to introduce new rules for investments in the tourism industry. Tourism Minister R. Rajendran announced this during the opening of the Tamil Nadu Travel Mart (TNTM) 2025 in Chennai. The event is supported by Tamil Nadu Tourism and the Travel and Tourism Fair. Rajendran mentioned that the Tourism Department made a profit of over ₹34 crore last year. He emphasized the state's reputation for MICE tourism, which includes meetings and conferences. The aim is to provide safe and enjoyable experiences for tourists. K. Manivasan, Additional Chief Secretary of the Tourism Department, highlighted the TNTM's return after several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that the department wants to boost tourism's contribution to the state’s GDP to 15% by 2030. Despite India’s rich culture and heritage, Manivasan noted that it does not rank among the world’s top five tourist destinations. However, he believes it has great potential to become one. D. Venkatesan, Regional Director of the Union Ministry of Tourism, mentioned that Tamil Nadu attracts many pilgrims and promotes unique products with Geographical Indication (GI) tags. He said that the Ministry focuses on training and capacity building in the tourism sector.