India chaired the inaugural BRICS 2026 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in virtual mode under its BRICS 2026 Chairship, marking the start of tourism cooperation initiatives among member nations for the year. The meeting was chaired by the Joint Secretary (Tourism) in the Ministry of Tourism and served as an introductory and preparatory platform to advance the tourism cooperation agenda under the broader theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
During the session, BRICS member countries shared introductory remarks and discussed India’s thematic priorities for tourism cooperation during its chairship. India outlined four key priority areas: the use of Artificial Intelligence in tourism, sustainability and responsible tourism practices, tourism skilling and capacity building, and tourism exchanges alongside seamless travel facilitation among BRICS nations.
The Ministry of Tourism said the discussions laid the groundwork for deeper collaboration among member countries and set the stage for further engagements throughout India’s BRICS presidency in 2026.
The tourism cooperation process is set to continue with the second BRICS Tourism Working Group meeting, scheduled to take place in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on August 19 and 20. This will be followed by the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting on August 21 and 22, also to be held in Jaipur, where member nations are expected to further discuss joint tourism initiatives and collaborative frameworks.
India reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening tourism partnerships among BRICS nations as it moves forward with its chairship agenda for the year.