Due to having a various types centres like an Information Technology Centre, undulating terrain of low coastal hills, Educational Centre, Research Centre, Defence Centre, Industrial Centre, Film Studio Centre, Rocket Launching Centre, upcoming Vizhinjam International Deepwater Motherport, Railway Centre and International Airport Centre attracts a large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year. The city is classified as a Tier-II city by the government of India. It is a major hub of tourists, known for the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the beaches of Kovalam and Varkala, the backwaters of Poovar and Anchuthengu and its Western Ghats tracts of Ponmudi and the Agastyamala.
