India chairs the inaugural BRICS 2026 Tourism Working Group Meeting

📌 Summary:

• India chaired the 1st BRICS 2026 Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting, held in virtual mode on 25 May 2026 under India's BRICS 2026 Chairship
• The meeting was chaired by the Joint Secretary (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism, and served as an introductory and preparatory platform for the year's tourism cooperation agenda
• Overarching theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability"
• India's thematic priorities for tourism cooperation: Artificial Intelligence and Tourism; Sustainability and Responsible Tourism; Tourism Skilling and Capacity Building; and Tourism Exchanges and Seamless Travel Facilitation
• The 2nd Tourism Working Group Meeting is scheduled for 19-20 August 2026 in Jaipur, followed by the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting on 21-22 August 2026, also in Jaipur

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (International Relations) — India's role in plurilateral groupings, BRICS cooperation, and tourism as an instrument of soft power and diplomacy.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India holds the BRICS Chairship for the year 2026
• The 1st BRICS Tourism Working Group Meeting was held virtually on 25 May 2026
• The BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting is to be held in Jaipur on 21-22 August 2026
• BRICS originated as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has expanded in recent years

🔑 Key Term: BRICS — an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies (originally Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), expanded in recent years, that coordinates economic, political and developmental cooperation.