Iran urges BRICS to build resilient and sustainable tourism sector
TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has called for a new definition of resilience in tourism, saying the sector should help connect nations, revive hope, support communities and contribute to lasting peace.
Speaking at the 2026 BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in India, Reza Salehi-Amiri thanked the Indian government for hosting the gathering and the BRICS organization for putting resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, along with a “people-centered approach to the common future of humanity,” at the center of discussions.
He stressed the need for stronger international cooperation to help shape a human-centered future for tourism.
Referring to the conflicts and crises facing the world, Salehi-Amiri said the concept of resilience had acquired a deeper meaning under current circumstances.
“Today’s world needs resilient communities more than resilient economies,” he said, stressing that tourism should become a bridge among nations.
The Iranian minister also condemned what he described as US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, saying the attacks had caused profound suffering and killed more than 4,000 people, including 168 children at a school in Minab, as well as civilians and a number of prominent scientific, intellectual and cultural figures.
He said the attacks had also damaged 149 historical and cultural sites, including five sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, raising serious concerns about the protection of Iran’s cultural heritage.
Salehi-Amiri said resilience should not be viewed merely as a tourism destination’s ability to withstand or overcome a crisis.
True resilience means the ability of people, communities and cultures to preserve their identity, rebuild their livelihoods and lives, and recover their strength and dignity, he said.
Presenting Iran’s proposals for strengthening tourism cooperation within BRICS, Salehi-Amiri proposed the establishment of a BRICS tourism project support fund.
He said the fund could play a significant role in developing tourism infrastructure in member countries and suggested that its operational mechanisms could be defined within the framework of the New Development Bank, the BRICS multilateral development bank.
Such a mechanism, he added, could provide financing for and facilitate the implementation of joint tourism projects among BRICS members.
Salehi-Amiri also called for greater use of the historical potential of the time-honored Silk Road and Spice Route to strengthen people-to-people exchanges among BRICS countries.
He said BRICS could draw on the rich heritage of these historic trade and civilizational routes, which had served as cultural and commercial links among some of the bloc’s members in the past.
“These historic routes are not only part of the shared civilizational heritage of nations, but can also become new platforms for tourism development, cultural exchange, deeper mutual understanding and stronger regional and international cooperation,” he said.
AM