Mexico’s Senate votes to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate has voted to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls, drawing sharp criticism from the tourism industry. Mexican business chambers say the immigration charge — from which cruise passengers used to be exempt — may hurt the country’s half-billion-dollar-per-year cruise industry. The measure will go into effect in 2025. The changes were part of a bill that also increases airport immigration charges and entry fees for nature reserves. Mexico’s Caribbean coast is home to Cozumel, the busiest port of call for cruise ships in the world. The National Confederation of Commerce, Service and Tourism Chambers said the $42 charges could make other countries’ Caribbean ports more competitive than Mexico’s.