Jaipur: Under India’s Chairship, the meeting of BRICS Tourism Ministers concluded in Jaipur on Friday with the consensus adoption of the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Communiqué 2026 (Jaipur Declaration), providing a framework to strengthen tourism cooperation among BRICS Member States.
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat chaired the meeting, which marked the culmination of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s Chairship in 2026, guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The Jaipur Declaration reflects the work undertaken by the BRICS Tourism Working Group during India’s Chairship across four thematic priorities: Artificial Intelligence and Tourism; Sustainability and Responsible Tourism; Tourism Skilling and Capacity Building; and Tourism Exchanges and Seamless Travel Facilitation.
The Communiqué recognises the transformative potential of responsible, safe and human centred artificial intelligence and digital technologies in tourism and supports cooperation in tourism planning, destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.
It also emphasises sustainable and community centred tourism, protection of natural and cultural heritage, tourism investment and infrastructure, development and promotion of diverse tourism products, continuous skilling and upskilling, industry academia partnerships, exchange of tourism data and statistics, sharing of best practices, and stronger people to people connectivity among BRICS Member States.
Addressing the meeting, Shekhawat said tourism plays an important role in India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047 and has the unique ability to take economic growth beyond major centres to towns, villages and remote regions.
He noted that tourism creates opportunities for hotels and homestays, taxi operators, guides, artisans, weavers, farmers, entrepreneurs and millions of families whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly connected with the sector.
The Minister highlighted India’s efforts to build a tourism ecosystem that is economically prosperous, environmentally responsible, technologically enabled and culturally authentic.
He remarked, “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.”
On the sidelines of the Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, India held bilateral meetings with Brazil, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The engagements provided an opportunity to discuss matters with the respective ministerial delegations and take forward bilateral tourism cooperation. India also held a press conference on the BRICS Tourism Track under its Chairship, highlighting the key outcomes of the Tourism Ministers’ Meeting and the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration.
As part of the Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in Jaipur, curated experiences showcasing traditional arts, crafts and community based tourism initiatives were presented to Ministers and delegates. On August 22, 2026, the Ministers and delegates will visit some of Jaipur’s iconic heritage attractions, including Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Amber Fort, providing an opportunity to experience the city’s rich architectural, cultural and tourism heritage.
(IANS)
