New BRICS travel roadmap targets seamless borders and human-centered AI by 2026

BRICS tourism ministers adopted the Jaipur Declaration on Friday, 21 August, formalizing a new framework to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability into the bloc's travel sector. The agreement, reached by consensus in Rajasthan, India, establishes four primary pillars for cooperation between member states: AI implementation, responsible tourism, capacity building, and travel facilitation. Artificial intelligence and digital integration The declaration outlines a shift toward "human-centred AI" to manage destinations and visitor services. Member nations, including the UAE, will focus on deploying digital booking systems, multilingual communication tools, and data-driven visitor management to streamline international arrivals. The ministers stated that AI will be used specifically for route planning and automated customer support to improve the traveler experience across the bloc. The ministerial meeting was chaired by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, India’s Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, under the 2026 BRICS theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." The formal adoption followed two days of technical discussions by the BRICS Tourism Working Group held on 19 and 20 August. Sustainability and travel facilitation A central component of the Jaipur Declaration is the push for "seamless travel facilitation," aimed at reducing friction in cross-border tourism between member nations. The agreement also prioritizes tourism…