Baja California Sur tourist tax extended through 2026, confusion remains

The government of Baja California Sur, home to popular vacation spots like Los Cabos, has announced that its tourist tax, called "Embrace it," will remain in effect throughout 2026.

The announcement aims to provide clarity for travellers planning trips to the Mexican state, reads a press release.

The fee applies to travellers over age 12 entering through land border crossings or through the airports of Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and Loreto.

The payment can be completed online here before the trip or upon arrival at the destination.

The system generates an electronic certificate with a unique QR code, which can be requested at airports or ports of entry to confirm compliance.

Embrace it operates under the “One Voice” program, a collaborative framework that brings together state government, the private sector and the tourism industry to ensure consistent information for visitors.

Funds collected are used for environmental protection, tourism infrastructure improvements, and social and cultural projects, reads the release.

The collection process is managed by Tourist Tax México, which uses Travelkore technology, a global platform for processing tourism taxes and ensuring regulatory compliance through digital procedures.

All international visitors staying more than 24 hours in the state are required to pay 470 Mexican pesos (or roughly $34.25 CAD) through the platform.

"For foreign travellers, clarity of requirements always makes a difference," said Hugo Chapoy Córdova, director of revenue, Tourist Tax México, in a statement. "Our commitment is to maintain a secure, simple and accessible digital process for those who choose Baja California Sur."

According to figures from the Pacific Airport Group, from January to August 2025, Baja California Sur welcomed more than 3,858,600 foreign tourists, an increase of 0.93 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.

Mixed messages

All major travel-ready systems, including Timatic (IATA), Sherpa, Smartvel, and Traveldoc, currently show the Baja California Sur tax as mandatory and only payable online.

But the fee, introduced on July 1, 2025, still generates significant confusion.

As previously reported, key stakeholders in Baja California Sur's tourism sector weren’t fully aligned on the program following its launch.

In a statement July 7, the Los Cabos Tourism Board said the tax is more nuanced than it’s being portrayed, stating, at the time, that “no regulatory framework or operational system has been formalized.”

The Los Cabos Hotel Association also issued a near-identical statement.

PAX has contacted both parties to see where they stand as of today.

In San José del Cabo, at Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), some efforts have been made to publicize the tax through on-screen signage.

But not all local stakeholders are aligned. While attending the Los Cabos VIP Summit in November, PAX observed event organizers say that the tax has not yet been formalized.

Additionally, during an earlier visit to Los Cabos in late July, PAX inquired with several major hoteliers about the tax, and none were aware of its existence.

In a statement to PAX on Tuesday (Dec. 2), Tim Scurry, founder and executive chairman of Travelkore, clarified that the "mandatory tax can only be paid online and is not collected at airports.”

He pointed out that its disclosure is not exempt under Ontario’s regulations (TICO) or the C-59 federal law that came into effect June this year (Competition Act, s.74.01(1)(a.1)).

“The long and short of it is that this tax is required to be disclosed by travel agents and online travel agents,” he said. “If there is disagreement in the industry, the laws are there, and it only takes one complaint to set precedents.”

Pointing to how IATA has validated the tax, Scurry argues that the industry “must weigh-up its disclosure obligations under our local laws and decide.”

“There is no requirement for collection that interrupts the booking flow, just a clear disclosure that is not in fine print or obscure,” he said, noting that Travelkore has been working with ACTA to provide training and awareness materials about the tax’s disclosure requirements.

Still, the situation represents yet another case of mixed messaging surrounding Mexico’s attempts at collecting tax from tourists.

Baja California Sur follows in the footsteps of Quintana Roo, another Mexican state where the implementation of a tourist tax has sparked considerable confusion.

Quintana Roo, where popular destinations like Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are located, passed a tourism tax in April 2021 at the height of the pandemic.

The state’s “VISITAX” aims to fund local infrastructure projects, like train and road networks, as well as airports, and protects local assets, such as beaches and Mayan sites.

While the purpose of the tax has been clear, the mechanics of it, from how and where to pay it, to its overall enforcement, hasn’t always been.

Initially, despite the state's efforts to collect the tax — including posting signs at Cancún International Airport and, at one point, having representatives stop tourists before security to prompt payment via QR code — many visitors simply ignored it, as proof of payment was rarely required.

Online feedback at the time didn’t help matters as both travellers and travel advisors – some, not all – took to social media to proclaim how “I didn’t have to pay it,” or “they’re not checking,” as if to suggest the tax was optional.

Meanwhile, several unauthorized websites began collecting the tax (in most cases, at higher prices), clouding the public’s understanding of it. Many of these fake websites still exist today.

According to Travelkore's website, the current tax for Quintana Roo costs $17.75 USD per person (or $23.45 CAD).

Travelkore is named as the official payment app, but visitors, alternatively, can also pay via the government’s website here.

Once travellers pay the tax, they receive a QR code via email. This code can then be presented to VISITAX agents stationed at all terminals within Cancun airport.

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