Tamil Nadu recorded 35.71 crore domestic tourist visits and 15.46 lakh foreign tourist visits in 2025, according to provisional figures the Union Ministry of Tourism placed before the Lok Sabha in March 2026. That is a strong rise on 2024, but domestic visits are still about 28% below the 2019 peak of 49.49 crore, and foreign visits have recovered to less than a quarter of their 2019 level.
Chennai’s own share is clearest in the state’s district table for 2022: the city received more foreign visitors than any other district by a wide margin, but ranked only fifth for domestic visits. Here is the full series and what it measures.
Tamil Nadu visits, 2016 to 2025
The figures below come from the Ministry of Tourism’s reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 3834, answered on 16 March 2026. The ministry compiles them from state tourism departments. The 2025 numbers are provisional.
| Year | Domestic tourist visits | Foreign tourist visits |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 34,38,12,413 | 47,21,978 |
| 2017 | 34,50,61,140 | 48,60,455 |
| 2018 | 38,59,09,376 | 60,74,345 |
| 2019 | 49,48,65,257 | 68,66,327 |
| 2020 | 14,06,51,241 | 12,28,323 |
| 2021 | 11,53,36,719 | 57,622 |
| 2022 | 21,85,84,846 | 4,07,126 |
| 2023 | 28,60,11,515 | 11,74,899 |
| 2024 | 30,68,42,014 | 11,61,302 |
| 2025 (provisional) | 35,70,95,556 | 15,45,988 |
Domestic visits rose about 16% in 2025 over 2024 and foreign visits about 33%. Even so, domestic visits were at about 72% of the 2019 level, and foreign visits at about 23%.
A “visit” is not a person
These are counts of tourist visits, not individual tourists. One person who stays in a hotel in Chennai, then visits Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram, can be counted at each place. The ministry’s figures are compiled from state tourism department returns, and methods differ between states. A state with large temple towns and pilgrim circuits, like Tamil Nadu, can post very high domestic numbers as a result. For the same reason, visit counts should not be compared directly with population or airport passenger traffic.
Chennai and its neighbours
The Statistical Hand Book 2022-23 from the state’s Department of Economics and Statistics carries a district-wise table of tourist arrivals for 2022, sourced from the Commissioner of Tourism, Chennai. It is the latest district split available in the handbook.
| District (2022) | Domestic | Foreign | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 1,48,18,855 | 1,45,099 | 1,49,63,954 |
| Tiruvallur | 97,44,541 | 1,413 | 97,45,954 |
| Chengalpattu | 73,76,285 | 42,231 | 74,18,516 |
| Kancheepuram | 12,61,048 | 3,011 | 12,64,059 |
| Tamil Nadu | 21,85,84,846 | 4,07,139 | 21,89,91,985 |
Chennai took about 36% of all foreign tourist arrivals in the state in 2022, against under 7% of domestic arrivals. The airport, hospitals, business travel and the city’s hotels explain much of that. Chengalpattu, which includes the Mamallapuram monuments, was fourth for foreign arrivals.
Where Chennai ranks
From the same 2022 table:
- Top districts for domestic arrivals: Tiruchirappalli (2.04 crore), Ramanathapuram (1.83 crore), Kanniyakumari (1.66 crore), Madurai (1.58 crore), Chennai (1.48 crore), Coimbatore (1.37 crore).
- Top districts for foreign arrivals: Chennai (1,45,099), Vellore (79,390), Tiruchirappalli (76,541), Chengalpattu (42,231), Thanjavur (30,028), Madurai (16,637).
Pilgrim centres such as Srirangam, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari drive the domestic rankings. Chennai’s pull is stronger with foreign and business travellers.
The long view
The handbook’s state series shows how sharply the counts climbed before the pandemic: domestic arrivals were 6.26 crore in 2008, 13.68 crore in 2011, 33.35 crore in 2015 and 49.49 crore in 2019. Foreign arrivals rose from 20.4 lakh in 2008 to 68.7 lakh in 2019. The handbook notes that arrivals were nil during the April to August 2020 lockdown, and that COVID-19 restrictions cut 2021 numbers further.
The handbook’s figures for some years differ very slightly from the ministry’s (for example 4,07,139 foreign visits in 2022 against 4,07,126 in the Lok Sabha reply). Both are official; the small gap reflects revisions.
Using these numbers sensibly
- For trend questions, use the ministry’s state series, which runs to 2025 and is updated in parliamentary replies and the annual India Tourism Statistics.
- For Chennai specifically, the district table is the only official split, and it lags by a few years. The 2023 state totals in the handbook (28.60 crore domestic, 11.75 lakh foreign) match the ministry’s series, but the handbook does not yet carry a 2023 district table.
- For foreign visitors, remember that Chennai’s count includes people arriving for medical treatment, conferences and business, not only sightseeing.
- For comparisons with other states, check that both use the same year and the same definition of a visit.
Quick answers
How many tourists visited Tamil Nadu in 2025?
35.71 crore domestic and 15.46 lakh foreign tourist visits, provisional, per the Ministry of Tourism.
How many foreign tourists visit Chennai?
1,45,099 foreign tourist arrivals were recorded in Chennai district in 2022, the latest district figure in the state handbook.
Has tourism recovered to pre-COVID levels?
Not yet. 2025 domestic visits were about 72% of 2019 and foreign visits about 23%.
Which Tamil Nadu district gets the most tourists?
In 2022, Tiruchirappalli led for domestic arrivals and Chennai for foreign arrivals.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
