Mexico is a wonderful destination, but cruise ships are at risk of no longer reaching tourist ports with the recent approval of the modification of the Rights Act 2025, which eliminates the exemption for ship tourists, and establishes the application of a tax of 42 dollars per tourist.
This will reduce competitiveness, since this will mean that ports will be 213 percent more expensive than any other Caribbean destination.
This was warned by Michelle Paige, president of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), who, in a virtual conference, asked the Mexican government to stop the initiative that is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate of the Republic this Tuesday.
Through a translator, she explained that the itineraries of tourist ships are planned two years in advance, so that, if the initiative is authorized, it will ruin the ports that receive this segment of visitors, since the shipping companies would have to absorb the new tax, which would be impossible. For this reason, she made a precise call to the federal government.
“We hope that, by raising awareness of what is at stake, the federal government will pause the vote in the Senate tomorrow to reconsider this issue. We urge the federal government to seek or accept additional contributions from the cruise industry, from the communities that are most at risk of losing significant cruise tourism as a result of this measure, before enacting the legislation.”
Michelle Paige said that, during the 6 hours that cruise passengers on average go to each port, they spend approximately 91.48 dollars, while the crew generates a spill of just over 50 dollars, resources that go to taxis, various businesses, restaurants, which benefits the entire city, so she insisted that a new tax on ship tourists is not good for Mexico.
She pointed out that the FCCA brings together 23 shipping companies that are already analyzing the modification of routes to stop arriving at Mexican ports, because they would become more expensive, after the current tax paid is 16 dollars, which would reach 58 dollars per tourist, an unaffordable figure.
Michelle Paige said that this initiative was not known until it was authorized by the deputies, so the FCCA contacted the federal Sectur, whose head told her that she would be 85 percent sure that a 1-year extension would be given for the collection of the tax, which, in any case, means a negative and unprecedented impact.
For this reason, she added that the Association of Shipping Companies is open to dialogue with the Mexican authorities on this issue.
Source: lineadirectaportal
