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The UAE participated in the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in Jaipur under India’s 2026 chairship on August 22, 2026, where ministers adopted the Jaipur Declaration following two days of preparatory talks by the BRICS Tourism Working Group. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, chaired the UAE delegation and welcomed the outcomes that centre on four priorities including artificial intelligence and tourism, sustainability and responsible tourism, tourism skilling and capacity building as well as tourism exchanges and seamless travel facilitation. According to the Emirates News Agency, Al Marri stressed that tourism serves as a key driver of investment, economic growth and job creation while fostering stronger ties between peoples and communities.
Al Marri expressed the UAE’s full support for the Indian presidency and its tourism priorities, particularly the proposal to create the BRICS Tourism Solutions Exchange Platform. The platform is intended as a practical mechanism for member states to share expertise, solutions, success stories and training opportunities according to a statement carried by WAM. The Jaipur Declaration, adopted by consensus, recognises the transformative potential of responsible and human-centred artificial intelligence in tourism planning, destination management, visitor services, multilingual communication and travel facilitation.
World Travel and Tourism Council data showed the UAE’s travel and tourism sector contributed 251.3 billion dirhams to the national economy in 2025, equivalent to 11.9 percent of GDP while supporting nearly 947,100 jobs. India, Russia and China ranked among the top source markets for international visitors to the UAE that year, underscoring the relevance of deeper BRICS collaboration for future tourism flows. A separate report from Future Market Insights projected the broader BRICS tourism market to expand at an average annual rate of 4.2 percent to reach 8.3 trillion dollars by 2036.
On the sidelines of the ministerial gathering, Al Marri held bilateral meetings with India’s Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Brazil’s Minister of Tourism Gustavo Costa Feliciando. The discussions explored ways to expand tourism cooperation, increase bilateral visitor numbers, develop new products and experiences as well as organise joint events and initiatives. Participants also examined opportunities for exchanging knowledge on destination management and sustainable practices between the UAE, India and Brazil.
The declaration further emphasises sustainable and community-centred tourism, protection of natural and cultural heritage, tourism investment and infrastructure along with continuous skilling through industry-academia partnerships. It calls for greater exchange of tourism data and statistics, sharing of best practices and enhanced people-to-people connectivity among BRICS members that now include the UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia in addition to the original five nations. The UAE’s engagement aligns with its established record of welcoming record visitor volumes, with hotel guests surpassing 23 million in the first nine months of 2025 according to official figures.
