Mexico, latest destination to add a tourist tax

Now, we can add yet another destination to the list: Mexico’s state of Quintana Roo, home to the Riviera Maya and tourist favorites such as Tulum, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Cancun, thepointsguy.com reported.

As of April 1, 2021, the state of Quintana Roo will be instituting a $10 tourist tax for foreigners, according to The Riviera Maya Times. No details have been released about how the tax would be collected.

State Secretary for Tourism Marisol Vanegas said the tax is “necessary due to the deficit that the state of Quintana Roo will have due to the fall in tourism as a result of the pandemic,” according to the Times. Vanegas faces opposition to the tax from the travel industry over fears it will encourage tourists to choose other tax-free destinations instead.

Mexico’s tourism industry, much like the rest of the world, has taken a major hit in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite being one of the few countries open to American tourists at the moment, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assigned Mexico a Level 4 “very high” COVID-19 designation and said that “all travel” to the country should be avoided, reported TPG’s Victoria Walker.