Congress authorized a $42 payment to all foreign tourists arriving on the Mexican coast on cruise ships.
The change is part of the Federal Rights Act, which is part of the revenue the country receives and is included in the 2025 budget.
The official justification for the change is that “the Caribbean region accounts for more than 50 percent of the world’s cruise capacity or key ports.”
The tax at the current exchange rate is 852 pesos for each tourist arriving in the country.
Crisis in the industry
Companies and industry organizations have warned that the fee will impact tourist arrivals in the country, and some operators are already assessing whether they will change their routes.
Twenty-three Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) cruise lines are considering changing their itineraries and ceasing calls at Mexican ports due to the new fee, according to a statement.
Michel Page, director of the FCCA, warned at a news conference that the increase would make cruise tourism in Mexico 213 percent more expensive than Caribbean ports, which could exclude Mexican ports from the international market.
According to this vision, “this measure will have a major impact on Mexico’s economy, as cruise tourism generates approximately $1 billion in direct spending, in addition to approximately 20,000 jobs and $200 million in annual wages.”
The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents said that “Mexico will lose up to 10 million passengers” because Mexican ports “will be three times more expensive than Caribbean ones.”
Eugenio Segura Vázquez, president of the Senate Commission on Tourism, said that they will seek to push forward the clause to extend the payment of the said right by 180 days and for it to be implemented gradually.
“We have spoken to industry representatives and they are not against paying the fee, but they need time to organize because they have already sold almost the first half of the year of their tour packages,” he said.
Source: Aristegui Noticias
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
