The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ meeting, under India’s chairship, concluded in Jaipur on Friday with the adoption of the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Communique 2026, also known as the Jaipur Declaration, aimed at strengthening tourism cooperation among member countries.
The meeting, chaired by Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, marked the culmination of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s 2026 chairship, which was conducted under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” Tourism ministers and heads of delegation from nine BRICS member states participated in the meeting.
Ministerial participation included Brazil’s Tourism Minister Gustavo Costa Feliciando, Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Reza Salehi Amiri, South Africa’s Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille and UAE’s Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri.
Heads of delegation from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Russia also attended the meeting.
The Indian delegation included Tourism Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar and Joint Secretary Harikishore S, among other officials.
The Jaipur Declaration builds on 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 communique, adopted by consensus, recognises the potential of responsible, safe and human-centred artificial intelligence and digital technologies to transform tourism.
It calls for cooperation among BRICS countries in areas such as tourism planning, destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.
The declaration also emphasises sustainable and community-centred tourism, protection of natural and cultural heritage, tourism investment and infrastructure development, and promotion of diverse tourism products.
It further calls for continuous skilling and upskilling of tourism professionals, stronger industry-academia partnerships, exchange of tourism data and statistics, sharing of best practices and enhanced people-to-people connectivity among BRICS countries.
Addressing the meeting, Shekhawat said tourism would play an important role in India’s journey towards “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 and has the ability to take economic growth beyond major centres to towns, villages and remote regions.
He said tourism creates livelihood opportunities for hotels and homestays, taxi operators, tourist guides, artisans, weavers, farmers and entrepreneurs, besides supporting millions of families directly or indirectly dependent on the sector.
The minister highlighted India’s efforts to develop a tourism ecosystem that is economically prosperous, environmentally responsible, technologically enabled and culturally authentic.
On the sidelines of the meeting, India held bilateral discussions with delegations from Brazil, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to discuss and advance tourism cooperation.
A press conference was also held on the outcomes of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s chairship, including the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration.
The meeting also featured curated experiences showcasing traditional arts, crafts and community-based tourism initiatives for the visiting ministers and delegates.
The delegates are scheduled to visit Jaipur’s major heritage attractions, including the Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Amber Fort, on Saturday, providing them an opportunity to experience the city’s architectural, cultural and tourism heritage.
