The government of Baja California Sur announced that the tourism development tax, known as Embrace it, will continue to be levied on foreign travelers. This tax funds environmental protection programs, infrastructure modernization, and cultural and social projects in Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, and Loreto.
The revenue collected from the tax levied on foreign travelers is allocated to environmental protection, improvements to tourism infrastructure, and social and cultural projects that ensure the destination’s sustainability for tourists and future generations.
Embrace it operates under the One Voice program, a collaborative framework that brings together the Baja California Sur government, the private sector, and the tourism industry to deliver a unified message to visitors.
The message, “Pay the tourism development tax and protect Baja California Sur,” provides clarity for those planning their trips, ensuring that foreign travelers fulfill their legal obligation to contribute to the tax that finances environmental protection, tourism infrastructure, and cultural projects throughout the state.
Embrace it is a tourism tax authorized by Article 129 Bis of the Baja California Sur State Tax Law. The fee in 2025 is 470 Mexican pesos per person (or 25 US dollars, depending on the exchange rate) and must be paid exclusively online.
The tax is levied on foreign travelers over 12 years of age who enter through land border crossings or the airports of Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, and Loreto.
Payment of the tax is mandatory and is done exclusively online through https://embraceit.bcs.gob.mx/ before the trip or upon arrival at the destination. Once the process is complete, the system generates an electronic certificate with a unique QR code, which may be requested randomly at airports or points of entry to confirm compliance.
According to the Baja California Sur Ministry of Tourism and Economy, tourist destinations are experiencing strong activity with an average hotel occupancy rate exceeding 70 percent during the end-of-year holidays.
Comondú leads the way with 89 percent hotel occupancy, followed by Los Cabos with an average of 72 percent and a projected peak of 79 percent during the holiday season. La Paz is registering 66 percent occupancy, Loreto reports 58 percent, and Mulegé has 54 percent hotel occupancy.
From January to November 2025, 4.1 million passengers arrived, representing a 2.1 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Baja California received 1.827 million Mexican tourists and more than 2.173 million international visitors.
If all foreign travelers paid the tourism tax this year, the Baja California Sur government would collect more than 1.021 billion pesos.
The agency stated that Mexican and foreign travelers generated 23.747 billion pesos in revenue from January to October 2025, a 14.3 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
It is projected that by the end of 2025, the revenue will approach 28 billion pesos, driven by tourism activity in November and December.
Source: forbes
