MOSCOW: The BRICS group of major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has launched a joint tourism roadmap to enhance travel among member countries during its first tourism forum, held in Moscow over the weekend.
Formed in 2009 as an investment forum, the BRICS group has evolved into a geopolitical bloc. In January, it expanded to include Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
The group’s leaders meet for annual summits hosted by the member holding the rotating presidency, with Russia taking the chairmanship this year.
Over 300 industry representatives gathered in Moscow for the BRICS Tourism Forum on Friday, where delegates from the nine-member countries announced a roadmap for joint policy and investment initiatives.
This roadmap includes the development of digital tourism solutions, the BRICS green initiative for tourism, and the enhancement of business relations in the sector, which Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov noted contributes around five percent to the economies of the member nations.
“We can say that the BRICS tourism track has been formally launched as of this moment,” Reshetnikov told reporters. “The document will bolster cooperation in the tourism industry’s digitalization and in promoting and increasing tourist exchanges.”
The Indian Ministry of Tourism welcomed the roadmap. “This is a great achievement, the first of its kind, and now the countries will work together through the roadmap,” said Niraj Sharan, assistant director general at the ministry, to Arab News.
“In the future, more and more tourists will move within BRICS nations. Travel formalities will be eased, hospitality sectors will cooperate, and countries will invest in each other’s firms.”
Amr El-Kadi, chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, emphasized the significance of the BRICS Tourism Forum. “It’s opening up new territories.
It’s a golden opportunity, where we can all work together within BRICS to increase intra-tourism. We have ambitious plans, including a major program to promote Egypt in India,” he said. “We are working hard with the Indian embassy in Cairo. We have a joint working team to promote tourism both ways.”
BRICS nations have a combined population of about 45 percent of the world’s inhabitants and account for approximately 25 percent of the global economy.
Since last year, 40 countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, and Pakistan, have expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc, which aims to represent the Global South and provide an alternative model to the Western-dominated G7—the group of the most advanced economies, including Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, and the US.
