Mexico to Charge Cruise Ship Passengers New Fee for Port Stops

Mexican politicians have voted to charge cruise ship passengers a new $42 fee for port stops.

Cruise ship passengers are exempt from the immigration charge, but the new bill, passed by the Mexican Senate late Tuesday, gets rid of this exemption. The lower house of Mexico’s Congress voted for the bill last week.

Cruise ship tourists were originally exempt because they slept aboard the ships and some don’t even get off the ships during port calls.

The bill, which will go into effect next year, also increases airport immigration charges and entry fees for nature reserves.

New Fee Sparks Backlash From Tourism Industry

Mexican business chambers say the $42 fee may hurt the country’s $500 million-per-year cruise industry.

The island of Cozumel, which is part of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, is the busiest port of call for cruise ships in the world. Cozumel sees roughly four million cruise passengers per year.

The National Confederation of Commerce, Service and Tourism Chambers said the $42 fee could make other countries’ Caribbean ports more competitive than Mexico’s.

“This could result in a significant decrease in visitors,” Octavio de la Torre, the group’s president, said Monday.

Last week, the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents said, “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.”

The new law, meanwhile, said that this was a “necessary” change.

“It is necessary to eliminate the exemption from immigration document payment for foreign passengers who enter Mexico aboard cruise ships,” the law states.

What Would Mexico Do With the Money?

The Mexican government is desperate to find new revenue sources as the ruling Morena party is running enormous budget deficits. The government is falling more into debt with building projects like railways and oil refineries, some of which are being built by the Mexican army.

Other contributing factors to Mexico’s budget deficits of about 6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), include transferring large amounts of money to the state-run oil company, Pemex, and implementing cash handout programs. The country’s debt is projected to account for roughly 51.4 percent of GDP at the end of 2025.

Most of the money, two-thirds to be exact, raised from charging cruise passengers would go to the Mexican army, rather than improving port facilities.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.