Mexico just hit cruise passengers with a new ‘visitor fee’— And it’s not optional

May 10, 2025 01:00 PM IST

Cruise-ship passengers who arrive in any Mexican port will now have to pay a visitor fee. This will be applicable from July 1.

In a recent development, passengers who arrive by cruise ships to any port in Mexico will have to pay up a $5 visitor fee. This rule will be applicable from July 1, as announced by the Mexican government and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. Both entities arrived at this compromise to derive a tariff from visitors to these ports.

Cruise ship passengers to pay visitor fee in Mexico? (REUTERS)

Tariffs negotiated after long talks between Mexico and FCCA

Just six months ago, the Mexican government demanded that this tariff per passenger should be $42, but after long talks with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the amount of $5 was fixed for now. This was mainly after complaints from cruise operators and the FCCA themselves. The fee was then negotiated on the basis of these complaints, citing the protection of cruise ship tourism.

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However, according to Border Report, this amount will increase up to $21 in the next three years. Moreover, this fee will be directly added to the cruise package, and no separate payments have to be made by passengers to the Mexican government. The tour operators will be taking care of the same from their end.

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association thanked Mexico’s federal government in a statement, saying, “We are grateful to Mexico’s federal government for collaborating with us to reach an agreement on the transit fee that protects cruise ship tourism, increasing benefits to local communities whose livelihood depends on it.”

Earnings of Mexican government to increase

As per FCCA data, more than 3,000 cruise ships will land up at Mexican ports over the year and will be bringing in nearly 10 million passengers. This would mean that Mexico’s federal government will be earning more than $50 million in transit fee from cruise ship passengers within the year. Once this tariff increases, so will the government’s earnings from it.

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