Tourists Question Visitax Fee at Cancun Airport

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Visitax fee is drawing surprise and frustration from some foreign visitors at Cancun International Airport, who question why they must pay an additional 285 pesos for their stay in Quintana Roo on top of what they already spend on lodging, meals, transportation and other services.

“My daughter lives in Miami, and when I go, from the moment I arrive at the airport I notice the surprise of tourists who have to pay this tax. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fair; that’s why there is less and less tourism,” said Rogelio Salas.

A similar account came from a traveler with relatives in Canada, who said the family paid without major problems but were puzzled by a contribution that is not always known before arriving at their destination. During checks at Terminals 2 and 3, people seeing off acquaintances arriving from the United States and Canada said visitors found it hard to understand why they had to pay a fee simply to enter Quintana Roo, although the travelers themselves declined to discuss the charge in detail.

The Visitax is not a new tax or an airport tariff. It is a state fee created in 2021 and applies to foreign tourists. For 2026, the rate remains at 285 pesos per person, and the airport has set up payment stations in its terminals.

For the Quintana Roo government, the fee has become one of its main revenue expectations for 2026. The initial fiscal proposal called for collecting 4.307 billion pesos under the category of “Derecho de Uso, Goce y Aprovechamiento o Explotación de Bienes de Dominio Público,” which includes the visitor tax. That would have increased the estimate from 1.393 billion pesos in 2025 to 4.307 billion pesos in 2026 — a jump of 2.914 billion pesos — without raising the fee itself, but by changing the collection system to make hotels withholding agents and jointly responsible for the payment.

The plan drew opposition from the hotel sector and was ultimately revised. The final figure was set at 1.775 billion pesos, a reduction of 2.532 billion from the original proposal.

Under the initial plan, funds would have been directed through a trust: 10 percent for tourism promotion and crisis management, 40 percent for sargassum cleanup, beach cleaning and restoration, and 50 percent for strategic projects tied to tourism.