Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – On November 15, the Puerto Vallarta City Council approved a proposal to charge foreign tourists a fee for using municipal services and public spaces. The ruling, passed during a council session, will now be sent to Jalisco’s Congress for review and potential implementation in 2025.
Initially, at a November 9 council meeting, the municipal mayor presented two proposals for new tourist fees. The first, called “Environmental Sanitation,” aimed at funding ecological projects, was rejected on November 13. The second proposal, now approved, focuses on a fee for municipal services and infrastructure improvements.
The approved fee is set at 1.25 Measurement and Update Units (UMAs), approximately $135 MXN or $6.65 USD, which is half the original proposal’s 2.5 UMAs. It will apply to foreign visitors arriving by air, sea, or land over a 365-day period. Children under 14, people with disabilities, tourist guides, airline and cruise staff, and foreign tourism workers are exempt.
The collected funds, estimated at 300 to 350 million pesos annually, will be managed through a newly created Trust for Investment in Infrastructure and Services of the Puerto Vallarta Tourist Strip, composed equally of private sector representatives and municipal officials.
This trust will oversee projects to improve public spaces, municipal services, and sustainability efforts in key areas like the historic center, Romantic Zone, and the Malecón as well as environmental protection projects.
Luis Munguía, municipal president and head of the Finance and Public Accounts Commission, emphasized the importance of the initiative for Puerto Vallarta’s tourism economy. He also noted efforts to clarify whether the state or municipality is responsible for maintaining the pier at Los Muertos beach.
This initiative aims to support sustainable tourism development while keeping the financial impact on visitors manageable.
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