Cruise ship passengers must pay fee upon arriving in Mexico starting July 1

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Starting July 1, cruise-ship passengers arriving in any Mexican port will have to pay a $5 visitor fee.

The Mexican government and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association arrived at a compromise this week to implement the tariff on visitors.

The FCCA represents 95% of cruise ships that make ports of call in Mexico.

Six months ago, the Mexican government wanted to institute a $42 tariff on each passenger.

After complaints from cruise ship operators and the FCCA, the fee was negotiated down.

Over the next three years, however, the fee will increase to $21 per passenger.

It will be added to the cost of a cruise, visitors won’t pay the fee directly to the Mexican government.

“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,” read an FCCA statement.

According to the FCCA, about 3,300 cruise ships are expected to stop in Mexican ports this year bringing 10 million passengers with them.