Mexico votes to impose tourist tax on international cruise arrivals
Government officials in Mexico have voted to charge each cruise passenger $42 (£33) to dock in its international ports
According to reports in the national press, the proposed legislation read: “It is necessary to eliminate the exemption from immigration document payment for foreign passengers who enter Mexico aboard cruise ships.”
If approved by the country’s Senate, the new law will come into effect in 2026 as Mexico looks to crack down on increasing tourism levels along its coast.
It is thought that two-thirds of the funds raised from the immigration levy will be given to Mexico’s defence department, and not reinvested in port infrastructure and facilities.
In the past, cruise passengers have been exempt from the immigration levy – which is imposed on land-based visitors – as they sleep onboard the ship and not all arrivals disembark.
The move is the latest in a string of curbs introduced to clamp down on the number of day visitors arriving in port cities.
In July, the mayor of Barcelona told Spanish newspaper El Páis that he will raise tourist tax for cruise passengers who visit the city for less than 12 hours as part of an effort to curb mass tourism to the Catalan capital.
Meanwhile, in June, Amsterdam said it will relocate its cruise terminal away from the city centre by 2035 in a bid to combat “nuisance” and over-tourism. The city council also plans to almost halve the number of ships allowed to dock at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) by 2026 from 190 to 100 per year.
Cruise Trade News has contacted CLIA for comment.
