Travelers to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Tulum and other tourist hotspots in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo will have to pay an $11 tax beginning Thursday, April 1.
International visitors over the age of 15 can pay the tax electronically at the time of booking or during their visit via a new website called Visitax. Visitors can also pay in cash at terminals set up in airports. Security staff at Cancun International Airport will assist to ensure and verify that all tourists have paid the tax before they leave.
According to The Yucatan Times, travelers will head to Visitax and complete a brief questionnaire and make the $11 payment with a credit card. Afterward, they will receive a barcode to display in the immigration filters.
The new tax, which is expected to bring in $29.1 million in 2021, will be used to create more jobs and develop additional tourist attractions.
"It's expected to be an agile and simple transaction that won't complicate visitors' stay," said Quintana Roo tax administration official Rodrigo Diaz.
Visitors from Belize will pay 10 percent less "due to the large number who regularly cross the border to visit nearby Chetumal for short-term visits."
Cancun and Quintana Roo are currently open to Americans who don't need a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of vaccination to gain entry. The region is on the fast track to recovery one year into the pandemic, with airlines increasing flights to meet demand.
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