Open Jaw has learned the Quintana Roo infrastructure improvement tax implemented by the state in APR of 2021, is now mandatory.
The so-called VISITAX is USD18.80 and must be paid by all non-residential visitors prior to departure, except those arriving via the southern border.
According to a statement issued on 10 JUL 2023 by Quintana Roo’s General Director of the Tax Administration Service, Héctor Josè Contreras Mercader:
All providers of services related to activities provided to foreign tourists entering the State of Quintana Roo, are informed that in compliance with article 51-Octies of the Law of Rights of the State of Quintana Roo, any foreign visitor, upon entering the State of Quintana Roo, must pay a fee for the use or exploitation of real estate of the public domain of the State of Quintana Roo, with the exception of those who enter through the Southern Border of the Entity.
Enforcement of the payment is now law which means it is mandatory for travel providers and operators to abide by the ‘collect and inform’ order issued by the state:
As instructed by the aforementioned law, the "VISITAX" right must be collected and informed, in the means authorized by the Ministry of Finance and Planning of the State of Quintana Roo, through the Tax Administration Service of the State of Quintana Roo.
According to the communication, a Mexican controlled contractor has been authorized with the task of collecting the tax on behalf of the state.
In order to facilitate the payment process and reduce airport delays and lineups, the state contractor has assigned the automated collection of the tax to Toronto based Travelkore. Tim Scurry, CEO of the Torkore group of companies, told Open Jaw “It’s quite an honour to be chosen as a unique provider of the fulfillment platform.”
Scurry added that Quintana Roo’s mandate is to ensure the tax is easy to pay, easy to process and efficiently administered and that this played a key role in Travelkore being selected by the state contractor.
We’ve built a user-friendly system and with basically one click, the traveller is provided a QR code which is presented upon customs entry at the Cancun airport. Upon departure, the QR code is cancelled”
According to Scurry, the payment of the VISITAX on Travelkore’s platform is being seamlessly integrated into the booking systems of airlines, tour operators, OTAs and GDS such as Amadeus.
In addition to simplifying the payment process, the Travelkore ecosystem provides free health and safety support tools, such as Safekore, Quintana Roo´s Guest Assist embedded link and Nurse Concierge.
According to Scurry, travel advisors promoting the Travelkore payment link will have the opportunity to collect a fee.
PINK COUCH VIDEO
Tim Scurry, CEO of the Torkore Group of Companies, joins Nina Slawek on the Pink Couch, providing insights into the Cancun VISITAX collection through the proprietary Travelkore platform.
