India put travel and tourism at the heart of its efforts to bring BRICS countries closer. From free visas to renewed flight links, smoother cross-border travel is taking centre stage.
As the 18th BRICS Summit wrapped up in New Delhi on 13 September, travel and tourism emerged as an important part of India’s broader push to strengthen ties with fellow BRICS nations.
The crux was that stronger relationships require easier ways for people to move, explore and connect.
India-China Flights Return
A major development is the resumption of direct flights between India and China. From 21 September, 2026, China Southern Airlines will restart regular passenger services between Guangzhou and New Delhi after a six-year hiatus.
The route could mark a significant step for leisure and business travellers, restoring people-to-people connectivity between the two countries
Thailand Gets A Visa Boost
India has also opened the door wider for Thai visitors with a free 30-day, double-entry e-Tourist visa, valid until 31 December, 2027. The move is designed to make travel more attractive while deepening India-Thailand tourism and cultural links.
Delhi Gets Ready For More Global Travellers
Supporting this tourism push is Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, whose international passenger-handling capacity has risen to 31 million annually following upgrades at Terminal 3.
Jaipur Declaration Eyes Seamless Travel
Adopted under India’s BRICS chairship, the Jaipur Declaration takes the vision further. It puts seamless travel, multilingual visitor services, digital connectivity and human-centred artificial intelligence on the BRICS tourism agenda. The framework also explores smoother cross-border digital payments, an increasingly important part of the modern travel experience.
With new flights, easier visas, smarter digital tools and expanded airport capacity, India’s BRICS tourism push is a bid to make the region easier to reach, explore and experience.
