To put Tamil Nadu on the map as the destination for art and cultural tourism, a “Tamil Biennale” will be organised in January 2027, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said at the Tamil Nadu Global Tourism Summit 2026 here on Monday.

At the summit, the State government signed 127 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹22,794 crore, which will likely create 65,937 jobs. With lakhs of tourists visiting Mamallapuram, a ‘Special Area Development Authority’ will be set up to create world-class, modern tourism infrastructure, at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore, he added.

Under theTamil Nadu Tourism Policy 2023, SIPCOT will identify tourist locations and establish tourism facilities, he said. In a step towards that direction, four special tourist destinations have been identified in the districts of Kanniyakumari, Kallakurichi, Erode, and Thoothukudi, and expressions of interest have been invited to attract investments, he added.

Mr. Stalin said 31 locations had been selected across the State, and a host of tourism infrastructure, including accommodation facilities, theme parks, camping sites, and nature-based resorts, would be created.

“Bookmark Tamil Nadu as your favourite destination. You will make unforgettable memories and tell your friends that Tamil Nadu is your second home,” he said.

Some of the major MoUs are on setting up a multi-purpose sports stadium and a high-performance facility centre, heritage theme park at Chengalpettu, ropeway in Salem, and amusement parks, a sports and recreation centre, and luxury hotels in the State.

Pham Sanh Chau, Managing Director and CEO of VinGroup Asia Operations, signed an MoU with the government to set up world-class amusement parks, hotels and EV mobility solutions in Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Stalin said the aim of this conference was to attract more private investments in the tourism sector, placing Tamil Nadu as India’s best tourism investment destination, bring in private investors, tour operators, developers, and industry stakeholders under one platform with the government, and promote infrastructure projects.

In the last five years, the State government allocated ₹612.18 crore for the development of the sector and, as a result, 128.97 crore domestic tourists and 45 lakh foreign tourists visited Tamil Nadu during this period, he added.

He inaugurated projects including the glow garden at Mamallapuram and Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation hotel at Chidambaram, and laid the foundation stone for projects such as tourism facilities at Tharangambadi.

Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa said Tamil Nadu was the most urbanised State in India that balanced primary sectors, manufacturing and services output. “At the heart of all this is inclusivity, population scale and regionally engineered distributed growth.”

Tourism Minister R. Rajendran, K. Manivasan, additional chief secretary of Tourism, and Ravichandran Ashwin, former Indian cricket team’s spinner, spoke at the event.

MSME Minister T.M. Anbarasan, Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, Tourism Commissioner J. Innocent Divya, Managing Director and CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, Darez Ahamed, and Industries Secretary V. Arun Roy were among those present at the event.

Published – February 03, 2026 01:06 am IST