The BRICS New Delhi Declaration has placed tourism and culture in focus, highlighting their role in supporting economic growth, sustainable development, cultural exchange and stronger connections between people and communities across BRICS nations.

The declaration recognizes tourism as an important driver of economic growth, employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, inclusive and sustainable development, local livelihoods, economic diversification, heritage preservation, national image building, cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges.

It also highlights the immense potential of BRICS countries in tourism, with opportunities to develop sustainable and resilient tourism in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, including through the promotion of ecotourism.

The countries encouraged knowledge exchange on responsible, sustainable and regenerative tourism models. The declaration also welcomed the use of Artificial Intelligence and digital tools to build smarter and more efficient tourism systems, including digital payment systems.

It further highlighted eco-friendly, community-led, sustainable and climate-resilient tourism models, along with the need to strengthen human capital, training, investment and institutional capacity across the sector and facilitate smoother tourism flows.

The declaration also welcomed the Communique of the Tourism Ministers' Meeting held in Jaipur, which focused on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation to promote sustainable, inclusive, smart and resilient tourism development and increase international tourism competitiveness.

BRICS nations also supported the development and promotion of diverse tourism products, including historical, cultural, nature-based, gastronomy and health tourism.

At the same time, cross-border currency trade remains a work in progress. The 90th paragraph of the 140-paragraph summit declaration states, “We acknowledge the efforts of the BRICS Payment Task Force (BPTF) towards exploring pragmatic solutions for efficient cross-border payment mechanisms, drawing on the guidance provided in the Kazan and Rio Declarations.”

The declaration also strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, with an explicit mention of the Pahalgam terror attack. On April 22, 2025, a brutal terrorist attack targeted innocent civilians and tourists in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in 26 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Culture also received attention in the declaration, with BRICS welcoming the Bhopal Declaration adopted at the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting. It reaffirmed the important role of culture in fostering people-to-people cooperation and strengthening ties among BRICS nations.

The countries called for the protection of cultural heritage, including in regions affected by conflict, to prevent the destruction and illicit trafficking of cultural property. They also stressed the need to ensure the restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage, antiquities and objects of spiritual, ancestral, historical and cultural value to their countries of origin.

The declaration further encouraged cooperation through the exchange of information, documentation and institutional cooperation among museums, archives, libraries and other cultural institutions.

With these commitments, BRICS has outlined a shared vision where tourism and culture can support stronger economies, protect heritage, empower communities and bring people closer across borders, while building a smarter, more sustainable and resilient future.