On October 24th, the 2023 BRICS Tourism Ministers Meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting was chaired by Minister of Tourism of South Africa, Patricia de Lille, and attended by tourism department heads of member countries such as China, Brazil, Russia, and India. Opinions were exchanged on deepening tourism exchange and cooperation among BRICS countries, advancing sustainable development of the tourism industry, and other related topics.
Vice minister of Culture and Tourism in China Lu Yingchuan pointed out in his speech that the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi charted the course of the exchanges and cooperation in tourism between BRICS countries. In his speech at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi argued that China is willing to join hands with other countries to further Belt and Road cooperation and exchanges between different civilizations. Under the guidance of the 2022 BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting Communique signed in Beijing last year, BRICS countries have contributed to building an inclusive and mutually beneficial tourism partnership over the past year, jointly promoting higher quality development of tourism exchange and cooperation among BRICS countries. Lu Yingchuan stated that tourism thrives in different paths in BRICS countries with their own characteristics, and all these countries have their own experiences in relieving difficulties and exploring the path towards recovery, becoming an important force for the sustainable development of the world’s tourism. China is willing to work with the international community to leverage tourism to create a new situation in which civilizations learn from each other and people around the world understand each other, and promote the social economic recovery and sustainable inclusive development of countries in the post-epidemic era.
Representatives from all countries unanimously expressed that cross-border tourism provides opportunities for people from different countries, with different ethnicities and beliefs to have close communication and exchange, which helps to better eliminate prejudice, form consensus, and boost the progress of human civilization. We look forward to taking this conference as an opportunity to deepen the tourism partnership among BRICS countries, bolster tourism, socio-economic recovery, and international exchanges and cooperation after the epidemic. The representatives particularly pointed out that the accession of new members of the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism will further deepen equal exchanges and mutual learning among countries in the field of cultural exchanges represented by tourism. After the meeting, Lu Yingchuan, on behalf of China, jointly signed the 2023 BRICS Tourism Ministers Meeting Communique with the other four countries.
During his visit to South Africa, Lu Yingchuan met with South African Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille and Director of the Stellenbosch Tourism Bureau, Maubourg, exchanging views on cooperation in cultural exchanges, tourism promotion, and professional training between the two countries. He also conducted research on cultural and museum institutions such as the South African Museum of Cultural History and the Castle of Good Hope Museum.