Mexico's Senate votes to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico's Senate has voted to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls, drawing sharp criticism from the tourism industry.
Mexican businessmen say the immigration tax – where boaters have been let go – could hurt the country's half-billion-a-year tourism industry.
The measure approved late Tuesday has already passed the lower house and will take effect in 2025. The changes were part of a bill that also increases airport immigration fees and national park entry fees.
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Mexico's Caribbean coast is home to Cozumel, the world's busiest port of call for cruise ships. The National Confederation of Commerce, Service and Tourism Chambers said the $42 fee would make ports in other Caribbean countries more competitive than Mexico.
“This could lead to a significant drop in visitors,” said Octavio de la Torre, president of the association, on Monday.
Previously, seafarers were not charged immigration fees, because they slept on ships and some did not even leave the ship when the call was made. Now, even those people will apparently be charged a $42 fee, according to the new law.
There have been plans around the world to ban cruise ships for fear of over-tourism, but that train left the station long ago on Mexico's Caribbean coast. Cozumel has been the world's busiest port for years, welcoming an estimated four million passengers a year.
Two-thirds of the money collected will go to the Mexican military, not to develop port facilities.
The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents cried foul last week.
“If this measure is implemented, it will make Mexico's ports the most expensive in the world, seriously affecting their competitiveness with other Caribbean destinations,” the organization said in a statement.
Mexico's ruling party Morena already has huge budget deficits to fund its favorite construction projects such as railroads and oil refineries – some of which are being built by the military. The government is eager to find new sources of revenue.
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