Mexico Passes Law to Combat Child Sexual Tourism, Targets Hotels

The Mexican Chamber of Deputies has passed a reform to the General Tourism Law aimed at combating child sexual tourism. The reform will require hotels to verify the relationship between adult guests and any accompanying minors, in an effort to protect children from sexual exploitation by foreign offenders.

This move comes as a response to the growing issue of child sexual tourism, a problem that has positioned Mexico as the second most affected country in the world, trailing only Thailand. Reports from the Attorney General's Office and ECPAT suggest that nearly 600,000 sexual predators travel to Mexico annually.

Popular tourist destinations such as Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya hotels have frequently been the sites of these crimes. The new reform aims to enhance security at lodging facilities by requiring guests to provide appropriate documentation confirming their relationship with any minors they are traveling with.

Should guests fail to meet these requirements, hotels will be obligated to deny them service and report the situation to the authorities.

In addition to this, the Tourism Commission has approved a 500 million peso increase in funding for the Pueblos Mágicos program. This initiative aims to recover funds that were lost in previous administrations.