BRICS Tourism Ministers on Friday adopted the Jaipur Declaration and Ministers’ Communique by consensus, outlining a framework for cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, sustainable tourism, skills development and seamless travel facilitation.
The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and marked the culmination of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s Chairship in 2026. The Tourism Track was taken forward under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The meeting was attended by representatives of nine BRICS member states. Ministerial participants included Gustavo Costa Feliciano, Minister of Tourism of Brazil; Reza Salehi Amiri, Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts; Patricia De Lille, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism; and Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism. Heads of delegations from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Russia also attended the meeting.
The Indian delegation included Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, and Harikishore S., Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, among other officials.
The Jaipur Declaration reflects the work undertaken by the BRICS Tourism Working Group during India’s Chairship and focuses on four key priorities: Artificial Intelligence and Tourism; Sustainability and Responsible Tourism; Tourism Skilling and Capacity Building; and Tourism Exchanges and Seamless Travel Facilitation.
The Ministers’ Communique recognises the potential of responsible, safe and human-centred artificial intelligence and digital technologies to transform the tourism sector. It supports cooperation in areas such as tourism planning, destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.
The declaration also emphasises sustainable and community-centred tourism, the protection of natural and cultural heritage, tourism investment and infrastructure, and the development and promotion of diverse tourism products. Other areas of cooperation include continuous skilling and upskilling, industry-academia partnerships, exchange of tourism data and statistics, sharing of best practices and strengthening people-to-people ties among BRICS member states.
Addressing the meeting, Shekhawat said tourism would play an important role in India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047 and had the potential to extend economic growth beyond major urban centres to towns, villages and remote regions.
He said the sector creates opportunities for hotels and homestays, taxi operators, tourist guides, artisans, weavers, farmers, entrepreneurs and millions of families whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly linked to tourism.
The minister highlighted India’s efforts to build a tourism ecosystem that is economically prosperous, environmentally responsible, technologically enabled and culturally authentic.
“Tourism ultimately connects people. It creates opportunities for communities, enables cultural exchange and allows citizens of our countries to understand one another beyond the formal relationships between governments,” Shekhawat said.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, India held bilateral discussions with Brazil, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to further advance tourism cooperation.
A press conference was also held to highlight the outcomes of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s Chairship and the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration.
Ministers and delegates were also introduced to curated experiences showcasing traditional arts, crafts and community-based tourism initiatives in Jaipur.
On August 22, the visiting ministers and delegates are scheduled to visit Jaipur’s prominent heritage sites, including Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Amber Fort, offering them an opportunity to experience the city’s architectural, cultural and tourism heritage.
