The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting 2022 was held in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sept 19, 2022. Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping presided over the meeting and delivered a keynote speech. Minister of Tourism of Brazil Carlos Brito，Head of Federal Agency for Tourism of Russia Zalina Doguzova, Minister of Tourism of India G. Kishan Reddy and Minister of Tourism of South Africa Lindiwe Sisulu attended the meeting in virtual format. The ministers had an in-depth exchange of views on the theme of "Green Growth, Sustainable Development and Resilient Recovery".

Hu Heping stressed that the BRICS countries are representatives of emerging markets and developing countries with the fastest economic growth and the most vitality in the world today. Strengthening ties and cooperation among BRICS countries is not only an inevitable trend of adhering to the path of peaceful development and promoting the progress of human civilization, but also the requirement for all member countries to work together to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve comprehensive economic recovery. The BRICS countries embrace rich tourism resources and occupy an important position in the world tourism arena. With frequent mutual visits, BRICS countries have great potential and broad prospects for tourism cooperation. In face of the spread of the COVID-19 and the profound changes in the global landscape, BRICS countries should work together, face risks and meet challenges, implement the spirit of the 14th BRICS Summit with pragmatic actions, and accelerate the recovery and development of tourism in BRICS countries and the world.

Hu Heping put forward a five-point proposal: First, adhering to working together, improving the BRICS tourism cooperation mechanism, and encouraging tourism administrative departments at all levels, industry associations, research institutions and market entities of BRICS countries to strengthen contacts and exchanges. Second, adhering to pragmatic cooperation, promoting the recovery and development of the tourism sector to be more resilient, and jointly exploring a feasible path for the recovery and development of tourism under the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, adhering to the green concept, working together to promote the sustainable development of tourism, and promoting the work of the BRICS Green Tourism Alliance to make substantial progress. Fourth, adhering to the utilization of innovation, empowering tourism development with digital technology, and accelerating the promotion of smart tourism characterized by digitalization, networking and intelligence. Fifth, adhering to openness and inclusiveness, continuing to expand the "circle of friends" of BRICS countries, and sharing opportunities brought by BRICS with more emerging markets and developing countries.

The participating ministers commended the achievements made in BRICS tourism cooperation in recent years, acknowledged the urgent need for tourism industry recovery and the importance of increasing mutual tourist flows, and pledged to take practical measures to shape a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector. The meeting adopted the Communiqué of the BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting 2022.

As a side event, "Forum on Cooperation and Prospects for Tourism Recovery" was also held in Guilin. Representatives of tourism sectors from BRICS and ASEAN, among other countries shared their experiences on green growth, sustainable development and resilient recovery of tourism, which promoted the exchange, mutual learning and connectivity in the field of tourism among BRICS and ASEAN countries.

(Source:Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China)