Jaipur, August 21: Tourism Ministers of the BRICS member countries on Friday adopted the Jaipur Declaration, providing a comprehensive framework to strengthen tourism cooperation, promote sustainable growth and facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges among member nations.
The meeting, chaired by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, marked the conclusion of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s 2026 chairship, conducted under the theme “Building Adaptability, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Representatives from all nine BRICS member countries participated in the meeting. Tourism ministers attending included Gustavo Costa Feliciano of Brazil, Raza Salehi Amiri of Iran, Patricia de Lille of South Africa, and Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri of the UAE. Heads of delegations from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Russia also participated.
The Jaipur Declaration reflects the work undertaken by the BRICS Tourism Working Group around four key priorities: Artificial Intelligence and Tourism; Sustainable and Responsible Tourism; Tourism Skills and Capacity Building; and Tourism Exchanges and Seamless Travel Facilitation.
The declaration recognises the transformative potential of responsible, safe and human-centric AI and digital technologies in tourism. It calls for greater cooperation in tourism planning, destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.
It also places emphasis on community-centric and sustainable tourism, protection of natural and cultural heritage, tourism investment and infrastructure, development of diverse tourism products, continuous skill development, industry-academia partnerships, exchange of tourism data and statistics, and sharing of best practices among BRICS countries.
Tourism Can Drive Inclusive Growth: Shekhawat
Addressing the meeting, Shekhawat said tourism would play a crucial role in India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. He highlighted the sector’s ability to spread economic opportunities beyond major urban centres to towns, villages and remote regions.
“Tourism creates opportunities for hotels and homestays, taxi operators, guides, artisans, weavers, farmers, entrepreneurs and millions of families whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly linked to the sector,” he said.
Shekhawat outlined India’s efforts to build a tourism ecosystem that is economically prosperous, environmentally responsible, technologically enabled and culturally authentic.
He emphasised that tourism ultimately brings people and communities closer, creates economic opportunities and facilitates cultural exchange. It also enables citizens of different countries to understand one another beyond formal government-to-government relations.
Bilateral Tourism Talks with Four Countries
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, India held bilateral discussions with Brazil, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The meetings provided an opportunity to engage with the respective ministerial delegations and explore avenues for strengthening bilateral tourism cooperation.
A press conference was also organised under India’s BRICS chairship to highlight the outcomes of the ministerial meeting and the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration.
As part of the Jaipur meeting, ministers and delegates were presented curated experiences showcasing traditional arts and crafts and community-based tourism initiatives from Rajasthan.
The visiting ministers and delegates are scheduled to tour Jaipur’s iconic heritage landmarks, including Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Amer Fort, on Saturday, August 22. The visit will provide them an opportunity to experience the city’s distinctive architectural, cultural and tourism heritage.
