Tulum Archaeological Site Fees Double for Foreign Tourists

Tulum, Quintana Roo – Starting in 2026, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) began charging more than double the entry fees for foreign visitors to first-category archaeological zones like Tulum, increasing from 100 to 210 pesos per person since January 1 and aggravating the overcost crisis this tourist destination has experienced since the creation of the Jaguar Park.

The increase applied to this fee is the highest established by the federal government in its latest reform to the Law of Rights, which also included a 5% increase in the fee for national visitors, which rose from 100 to 105 pesos.

The fee hike was not objected to by legislators and the government of Quintana Roo, nor by the Tulum municipality, despite the tourist destination not having recovered from the decline in visitors that began during last year’s low season, due to abuses by the Jaguar Park and disorder in local services, and despite the state of Yucatán receiving preferential treatment, as the same increase was not applied there.

And the problem for Tulum is that it makes entry to the archaeological remains much more expensive, because in addition to the INAH fee, tourists have to pay fees from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), because the site is in a natural protected area, and the fee from the Jaguar Park.

Due to the above, foreign tourists have to pay 515 pesos, adding 210 pesos from INAH, 125 pesos from Conanp, and 190 pesos from the Jaguar Park; while national visitors pay 260 pesos, for the 105 pesos from INAH, 65 pesos from Conanp, and 90 pesos from the Jaguar Park, after last year they were charged 415 and 255 pesos, respectively, for the “package.”

Increases at Other Archaeological Sites in Quintana Roo

The entry fee for foreign visitors also increased to 210 pesos at other sites in the state of Quintana Roo that do not have the same overcost problems as Tulum, which are Cobá, the Maya Museum of Cancún with San Miguelito, San Gervasio, Kohunlich, Xelhá, and Xcaret, which are classified within Category I of Mexico’s archaeological zones, along with Palenque and Teotihuacán.

Other archaeological sites in the state will also have fee increases, also doubling for foreigners.

In the case of Category II, the fee for foreigners rose from 80 to 160 pesos, while for nationals it rose to 90 pesos, and this applies in Dzibanché, Kinichná, and Chacchoben, the latter associated with cruise ship visitors arriving at the port of Mahahual.

For Category III, which includes the Quintana Roo sites El Rey, Oxtankah, El Meco, and Muyil, the increase for foreign visitors is from 75 to 145 pesos, while for national visitors it rose to 80 pesos.

According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), the measure responds to the need to guarantee resources for the conservation, research, and operation of the sites, but analysts consider it a revenue-raising measure by the federal government seeking to take advantage of the attraction of the Soccer World Cup in Mexico, after 2025 experienced a decline in foreign tourists.

Particularly the increase applied in Tulum and Cobá, two of the most visited sites in Quintana Roo, has generated dissatisfaction among tourism service providers and visitors since last weekend, as Mexican families on vacation also felt it as a blow to their economy, despite it not being more than double like that for foreign visitors.