Background on Quintana Roo and Visitax
Quintana Roo, a Mexican state known for its world-renowned tourist destinations like Cancun, Cozumel, and the Mayan Riviera, has recently made headlines regarding the collection of the Visitax—a fee charged to foreign tourists visiting the region since 2021. This fee was initially intended to be collected by local hoteliers, but after two weeks of negotiations, the state’s budget for 2026 has been approved without this obligation.
The Original Proposal and Hoteliers’ Concerns
The original proposal, contained in the 2026 Income Law sent by Governor to the state Congress, designated hoteliers as jointly responsible for collecting the Visitax, which is a right of use, enjoyment, and exploitation of public domain assets. However, the hotel industry argued that this would negatively impact their competitiveness and that they were not prepared to take on the responsibilities of fiscalization.
Government’s Stance and Adjustments
Following the approval of the 2026 budget package, the state government issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to maintaining open and constructive dialogue with the hotel and tourism sectors. The reformulation of the Visitax collection scheme aims to ensure that there is no additional burden on the sector while guaranteeing the destination’s competitiveness, legal certainty, and a positive experience for visitors to the Mexican Caribbean.
The proposal remains unchanged, stating that 100% of the resources generated by Visitax will be strategically invested in improving tourism infrastructure, enhancing destination competitiveness, and protecting the state’s natural assets.
Reactions from Industry Leaders
Eduardo Galaviz, President of the Quintana Roo Legislative Observatory, acknowledged the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue but pointed out that the law change also reduced the initial revenue collection target set by the state for Visitax.
“This indicates that dialogue successfully prevented the collection of this right in hotels, but it will result in a reduction from 56,000 to 53,000 million pesos in the anticipated resources.”
Galaviz also mentioned that certain budgetary allocations previously included in the original proposal will now be reduced. However, he considers this a positive sign that both parties were able to discuss and adjust a non-favorable situation.
Visitax Revenue and State’s Initial Target
Initially, the Quintana Roo government aimed to collect 4,300 million pesos in 2026 through the Visitax. The recent adjustments, however, will lead to a reduction in these projected revenues due to the hoteliers’ waiver of collection responsibility.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is Visitax? Visitax is a fee charged to foreign tourists visiting Quintana Roo since 2021, intended to generate revenue for improving tourism infrastructure and protecting natural assets.
- Why were hoteliers initially responsible for Visitax collection? The original proposal designated hoteliers as jointly responsible for collecting Visitax to ensure proper fiscalization of the fee.
- What changes were made to the 2026 budget? The amended budget no longer requires hoteliers to collect Visitax, addressing their concerns about competitiveness and fiscal burden.
- How will the adjusted scheme impact Visitax revenue? The state’s initial target of collecting 4,300 million pesos in 2026 through Visitax will now be reduced due to the hoteliers’ waiver of collection responsibility.
- What is the new revenue target for Visitax in 2026? With the adjustments, the new revenue target for Visitax in 2026 is not explicitly stated; however, it will be lower than the initially proposed 4,300 million pesos.
