A new tax for tourists in one popular holiday destination could see passengers charged when they’re on a cruise ship
Tourists arriving to Mexico via cruise could be slapped with a new tourist tax.
Mexico’s Congress has received backlash after voting in a measure that could impose a fee on cruise ship travellers entering the country. Mexico’s lower house of Congress last week voted to further the proposal for a ‘Non-Resident Fee’, hitting every passenger with a $42 (£33) immigration tax as they land at Mexican ports.
The charge, set forth under a new budget law, aims to combat overtourism and is planned for enactment in 2026, if passed. The legislative change states: “It is necessary to eliminate the exemption from immigration document payment for foreign passengers who enter Mexico aboard cruise ships.”
However, this move has not gone down well within the cruise sector. The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents has criticised the new fee, claiming it could render cruises ‘uncompetitively expensive’, harming Mexico compared to other Caribbean destinations, reports the Express.
In their condemnation, the group expressed: “If this measure is implemented, it would make Mexican ports of call among the most expensive in the world, severely affecting their competitiveness with other Caribbean destinations.”
Previously, cruise ship visitors were spared the immigration fee since such tourists often remain onboard overnight and might not even set foot on land. Still, the incoming budget law intends to levy the £33 charge regardless.
Reports suggest two-thirds of the proceeds derived from the new fee would be spent on Mexico’s defence department instead of supporting the tourism sector.
The controversy over the new fee is expected to carry on in the Mexican Senate later this week. This comes as cruise ship passengers docking in the state of Quintana Roo, home to tourist favourites such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Costa Maya and Cozumel, will be slapped with a £3 fee under a regional law kicking in from January 1, 2025.
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