BRICS Summit Tourism & Diplomacy: India’s Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan is set to host BRICS leaders on Sept 12-13, putting the venue front and centre for global delegates and business travel. India–China Talks: Modi and Xi are working to arrange a bilateral meeting on BRICS margins, with the border row and trade imbalance still the big hurdles. India–Russia Trade Push: Putin arrived in India for BRICS and held talks with Modi, with both sides aiming to lift ties beyond oil and arms toward wider trade, tech and critical minerals. Travel Tech & Mobility: Tesla unveiled its autonomous robotaxi Cybercab in Japan, with public demos in Osaka and Nagoya—another sign of Asia’s fast-moving transport experiments. Cross-border Tourism Skills: Nagaland launched its first logistics Centre of Excellence in Dimapur to plug into India’s logistics boom. Regional Tourism Promotion: Tourism Malaysia doubled down on Saudi Arabia marketing ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026–2027, citing strong visitor numbers. Visa Friction: China raised visa fees for Japanese nationals sevenfold, likely to affect inbound travel demand. Heritage & City Tourism: Manchester’s Chinatown archway restoration will use materials and artisans sourced from China, starting ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Safety & Disruption: India’s BRICS build-up is already triggering travel advisories and traffic curbs, while a road crash in Maharashtra killed nine pilgrims.