Tiruvannamalai otherwise spelt Thiruvannamalai; Trinomali or Trinomalee on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of Tiruvannamalai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is home to the renowned Annamalaiyar temple, Annamalai hill, Girivalam and the Karthigai deepam festival.

 Being a prominent tourist destination which attracts considerable foreign visitors.  The city is one of the cities featured in lonely planet. the city has a thriving service sector industry including retail, resorts and recreation activities. Apart from the service sector, the city is also the hub for many industrial setups including SIDCO, spinning mills and premier educational institutions.

 The city is administered by the Tiruvanamalai Municipality, originally constituted in the year 1886. The city has a good network of roadways and railways and a popular getaway to the Megacities of Chennai and Bengaluru. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation is considering setting up a new airport at Tiruvannamalai.

Tiruvannamalai is a temple city and a major pilgrimage centre in Tamil Nadu. The city is the marketing and service city for the surrounding places. Being the administrative headquarters of the Tiruvannamalai district, Tiruvannamalai has a lot of tertiary sector activities. Trade and commerce and service activities are the major contributors to the economy of the city. 

In 1991, 7.93% of the population was involved in primary sector, 21.34% in secondary sector and 70.73% in tertiary sector activities. The city had a female work participation of 11%. Due to the urbanisation from 1971, there has been dip in primary sector activities and a proportional increase in the tertiary sector activities. There is limited agricultural activity within the city limits. The secondary sector involves manufacturing and construction, whose growth has remained stable over the decades. 

There are a number of oil mills, rice mills and agro based industries within the Tiruvannamalai city limits. The tertiary sector activities of trade, commerce, transport, storage, communication and other services has been increasing due to the increasing number of tourists to the city. The patronage to Girivalam has increased informal economic activities around the city. The major commercial activities are concentrated around Car Street, Thiruvoodal Street, Kadambarayan Street, Asaliamman Koil Street, Sivanpada Street and Polur Road.[42]

All major nationalised banks such as State Bank of India, Vijaya Bank, Union Bank, Bank of India, Indian Bank, Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and private banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, DBS Bank, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, IDBI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Karur Vysya Bank and City Union Bank have their branches in Tiruvannamalai. All these banks have their automated teller machines located in various parts of the city. Apart from major banks the city also has many small finance banks and their automated teller machines.