Madurai has an impressive infrastructure for a city its size and has plenty of room for expansion. Madurai has a small airport with connectivity to Chennai and Mumbai. An airport expansion and modernization plan is on the cards. The city has a robust public transportation system, and a well-developed intra- and inter-state bus and railway systems. A major tourist attraction, it has a good network of international and domestic hotel chains. Some of them are: Best Western Germanus, Madura Park Inn International, Taj Garden Retreat, Royal Court, Madurai Ashok, Tamil Nadu, Sangam and Pandyan.

Though the old city and the parts adjoining the Meenakshi Temple are congested, the later developed parts of the city, across the Vaigai, present an altogether different picture, with roads almost on par with international standards. The city's prospective growth corridors are: Melur Road, Alagarkovil Road, TPK Road, Dindigul Road, Natham Roads, and the recently laid out Ring Road.

After many years of stagnation and lacklustre industrial growth, there have been signs of progress in the past few years. Dupont India, a wholly owned subsidiary of E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company Inc., USA, has set up its facility in Madurai to manufacture Tynex toothbrush bristles and Teflon non-stick coating.

Madurai has also made a blip on the Information Technology Radar. Honeywell, the first major multinational player to realize the city's tremendous potential, has established its Technology Solutions Lab (HTSL) (http://www.honeywell.com/sites/htsl/locations.htm) here. The company is planning to expand its Madurai center. Although the city is home to numerous small to mid-size IT and BPO units, with the notable exception of Honeywell, up until the past few years, its biggest failure had been its inability to attract IT majors and MNCs. The city's lobbying organizations like MADITSSIA seem to have taken notice, and of late, have been aggressively marketing to promote the city as the next major IT destination and BPO hub
(http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/28/stories/2005032801461300.htm) highlighting the city's better infrastructure and ample talent churned out by the city's engineering colleges.

According to a recent task force report released by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Madurai district has the potential to become a "manufacturing hub" and can be promoted as a knowledge gateway and tourism corridor of southern Tamil Nadu
(http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/25/stories/2005032515160500.htm)
(http://www.blonnet.com/2003/02/17/stories/2003021700871300.htm).