UAE backs closer tourism cooperation at BRICS meeting

The UAE has backed plans to strengthen tourism cooperation between BRICS countries at a ministerial meeting in Jaipur, India.

The UAE delegation to the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was chaired by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, with members adopting the Jaipur Declaration on tourism cooperation.

The declaration focuses on four key areas: artificial intelligence, sustainable and responsible tourism, skills development and making travel between member countries easier.

The UAE also expressed support for the proposed BRICS Tourism Solutions Exchange Platform, which is designed to allow member states to share expertise, technology solutions, training opportunities and successful tourism initiatives.

Al Marri said tourism plays an important role in attracting investment, supporting economic growth and creating jobs, as well as strengthening links between countries and communities.

The declaration also calls for greater cooperation on the use of responsible and human-centred AI in areas including destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.

It also covers tourism investment and infrastructure, protection of natural and cultural heritage, skills development and greater sharing of tourism data and best practices.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Al Marri held separate talks with India's Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Brazil's Minister of Tourism Gustavo Costa Feliciando.

Discussions focused on increasing tourism flows, developing new tourism products and experiences and exploring opportunities for joint events and initiatives.