SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The Mexican government has decided to put off charging tourists $42 to travel to Mexico on a cruise ship.
It was set to implement the fee at the start of 2025.
But after many complaints from the cruise ship industry, the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, the fee has been postponed until July 1.
“While the proposed postponement provides a temporary reprieve, FCCA stresses that more comprehensive measures are required to address broader concerns about the tax’s devastating impact on cruise tourism, Mexico’s economy, and the livelihoods of its coastal communities,” wrote the FCCA in a news release.
The Mexican government has said the $42 per passenger tariff will help offset military expenses since the military is now in charge of ports where cruise ships dock.
The tariff, if implemented, will make Mexican ports of call among the most expensive in the world.
According to FCCA, about 10 million passengers are scheduled to cruise to Mexico in 2025.
On Tuesday evening, Mele Johnson and her girlfriend walked by a Holland America cruise ship docked in San Diego and wondered what it would be like to go on a cruise.
“Neither of us have ever been on a cruise,” said Johnson.
She told Border Report the fee would not discourage her from booking a trip on a cruise ship to Mexico.
“I assume cruises are somewhat expensive, so I feel like if you’re going to pay for an entire cruise, the $42 would not factor in, but I’m also one person, so for myself it’s not a big deal,” said Johnson. “But yes, if you have a big family, that I get.”
Announcement of the fee came on the heels of a California law that mandates cruise companies be transparent when advertising cruise prices that must include all taxes and fees.
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