Author 1: Dr.V.Sobhana Devi,Assistant Professor,Department of Tourism Studies,Madras Christian College,Chennai.

Volume: 1 ☆ Issue: 1 ☆ Year: March 2026

Published Paper PDF: Click here

Abstract

The growth of pilgrimage tourism in India supports regional development, cultural sustainability, and socio-economic progress. Chennimalai, a significant site for pilgrimage tourism in Tamil Nadu, is also famous for its beautiful and distinctive landscape. Although Chennimalai has tourism potential, the systematic study of its tourism prospects is not well-explored. This research investigates Chennimalai's potential as a pilgrimage destination using secondary data, analyzed through a content methodology. The study is exploratory. For the analysis, the data was collected from secondary sources, including government tourism documents and reports, official tourism websites, travel blogs, online travel industry portals, news articles, and feedback from different digital platforms.

The analysis shows that the main factors driving tourism potential in Chennimalai are its scenic hills and the year-round religious pilgrimage activities. The site's spiritual, historical, and cultural significance adds to its appeal. Since the tourism potential is not fully developed, the content analysis suggests that Chennimalai deserves more research on opportunities for tourism development related to marketing, digital presence, visitor infrastructure, and connections with the regional tourism network. Gaps in infrastructure, ongoing promotion, and planning that supports long-term sustainability may limit the site's ability to attract and keep a larger visitor base, whether for religious purposes or not.

This study demonstrates the usefulness of content analysis in evaluating tourism potential using secondary data, contributing to the existing literature on pilgrimage tourism. Policymakers, tourism planners, and destination managers can gain valuable insights for creating evidence-based sustainable tourism development plans for Chennimalai.

Key words: Distinctive landscape, Pilgrimage destination, Infrastructure, Spiritual, Historical.