Brazilian Minister of Tourism Gustavo Feliciano called for efforts to strengthen connectivity through concrete actions to boost development of the BRICS tourism market.
Feliciano made the appeal in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). The minister said he believes strengthening connectivity can help BRICS tourism market to become truly strong and it is also part of the broader efforts by the bloc to promote South-South cooperation.
"The BRICS market is a market full of challenges, because the South needs to increase connectivity for this market to be truly strong in tourism. This group, BRICS, has a way of seeing the world, which is connecting South-South - something that was always left at the margins of global discussions - and trying to draw from this bloc the best we can for tourism," he said.
Asked how to increase attractiveness of the BRICS tourism market, Feliciano said there should be more concrete actions to strengthen connectivity among members so that tourists can discover a growing number of destinations more conveniently.
"I think, mainly, we need to align promotion and connectivity actions. when you work on a concrete connectivity action, the distance shortens, and promotion can be better developed, which gives the best results. What we need in the South is to expand this development--make life easier for the Brazilian tourist, or the South African tourist, when they want to come, and then do the right promotion so they discover the interest they have in experiencing these countries of the South," he said.
BRICS Tourism Ministers' Meeting was held from Aug 21 to 22 in India's Jaipur.
The meeting witnessed the adoption of the BRICS Tourism Ministers' Communiqué 2026 or the Jaipur Declaration, which emphasized building stronger people-to-people exchanges among BRICS members.
Brazilian minister calls for strengthening connectivity to boost BRICS tourism market
Norwegian Ambassador to China Vebjorn Dysvik said Wednesday that the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) offers a strong platform for developing new partnerships, as a record number of Norwegian companies attend.
Running through Sept. 13 at Shougang Park, a former industrial site and a venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the fair has drawn participants from 90 countries, regions and international organizations, with over 1,800 companies exhibiting on-site. Among them are 473 Fortune Global 500 firms and other industry leaders, including Honeywell, Johnson and Johnson, and Siemens.
During the fair, more than 190 forums, conferences, and business negotiation and promotion events will be held, along with 74 supporting activities and 11 business tour itineraries.
Norway is this year's guest country of honor at CIFTIS, and its exhibition area showcases Norway's distinctive industries and innovative achievements.
"It's a great opportunity and we can see this from the number of Norwegian companies that show up. And we have a record number of companies this year because our companies see that this is a good platform to develop all partnerships, but also to create new partnerships," said Vebjorn Dysvik, Norwegian Ambassador to China.
This year, for the first time, the fair has established an exhibition area for Chinese services in the core exhibition zone, showcasing innovative achievements and exemplary cases in the field of trade in services.
In addition, special zones were set up for the first time in several thematic exhibitions to provide professional support for Chinese enterprises looking to expand into international markets.
"The exhibition area for overseas service providers features 28 companies offering services overseas. It covers a wide range of topics, including accounting and auditing, human resources, intellectual property, consulting services, financial services, and digital marketing software services. In addition, we have invited 41 firms to participate in the overseas service recommendation roadshow, providing attendees with a one-stop solution for overseas expansion," said Zhao Fangqi, staff member at the fair.
This year's event also highlights the application of cutting-edge technologies in the service trade sector, while the sports and cultural tourism service exhibition areas feature numerous innovative interactive experiences.
Some exhibitors expressed their hope to meet the new service demands driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) era through more innovative approaches.
Norwegian ambassador hails CIFTIS as partnership platform
