Mexico has started imposing the new cruise passenger fee.
It kicked off with the compromise $5 tax on cruise ship guests after Mexico authorities relented on an initial $42 levy.
This unsurprisingly saw strong opposition from the cruise industry before a compromise was reached.
The new fee schedule starts at $5 and progressively increases over the coming years.
It will increase to $10 in 2026, $15 in 2027 and $21 by 2028.
The original Non-Resident Duty fee was set to kick in at the beginning of the year but sparked intense opposition from cruise lines with threats to pull ships and suspend cruise infrastructure investments.
The opposition was led by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) representing major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean.
The fee compromise was reached with cruise lines agreeing to spend more on Mexican products during cruises to local ports as part of the Made in Mexico initiative.
