The Mexican state of Quintana Roo appears ready to make a hefty increase in its visitor tax.
Tim Scurry, CEO of Travelkore, is in Cancun in discussions with the state government and has contacted Open Jaw. Scurry said Travelkore has been authorized to share information regarding the new pricing structure of VISITAX.
Travelkore’s website says the current tax is $18.80 USD, or about $25.10 CAD.
But it’s not clear what the new tax will be.
The tax is based on a multiple of the Mexican UMA, a value set yearly which forms the basis for all federal and state government collections, taxes, fees, penalties.
VISITAX is currently set at a rate of 2.5 x UMA. Open Jaw was told the tax will rise to 3.25 x UMA, which is an increase of roughly 33%. If the actual tax were to increase by that amount, it would rise from roughly $25.10 to about $33.50.
The 2024 UMA amount will be announced on 09JAN.
There’s also unconfirmed talk of a penalty fee for visitors who don’t pay the Visitax.
Travelkore says that, prior to the price change, all QR codes purchased through Travelkore.app will be honoured at the current price of $18.80 USD, even if your travel dates are scheduled after the effective date.
Despite a plethora of payment sites, Travelkore is the only payment platform official recognized by the state of Quintana Roo as Open Jaw indicated with a copy of the legal document.
The Cancun Airport website says the tax was brought in in 2021 “to mitigate the impact on the beaches and natural reserves of the State and to contain sargassum. It is also used to generate infrastructure to improve access and surveillance of Mayan archeological sites and generate better public services that benefit both tourists and the local population."
