Last Updated
Staying in a resort hotel in Cancun may be getting a little more expensive for travelers in the new year. However, the added surcharge is planned to go towards something that will directly benefit visitors to the popular beach resort destination.
Safety and Security
Hotel owners in Cancun closed out 2023 by asking for an increase in the hotel tax rate in the popular vacation getaway which has been fixed since 2018.
According to a published article, the recovery of international markets after the pandemic is allowing resort hotel owners to renegotiate the wholesale room rate charged to tour operators.
President of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos Jesús Almaguer Salazar mentioned in the article that more than 1.8 million travelers are expected to visit the area by the time the peak winter holiday travel season numbers are calculated.
This will lead to the local resort hotel owners ending the season in the black to the tune of more than $2 billion.
He said the extra tax funds generated this year would be used in part towards putting more expensive security technology in place to protect visitors.
Travelers Concerned
One of the top concerns among travelers to Mexico is their safety and security when visiting the country on a vacation getaway.
This has received the attention of local tourism agencies in the country which have been working closely with law enforcement and destination resort hotels to increase the level of protection for tourists.
Some of the efforts have included upgrading the security camera networks to provide coverage in more popular tourist areas and even deploying the Mexican National Guard to help ensure safety and security to travelers during the peak holiday travel seasons.
Exercise Increased Caution
The State of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, actually has a good safety and security travel rating according to the United States Department of State.
It rates the region as level two, urging travelers to “exercise increased caution” when traveling to the area. This rating has been unchanged since August of last year.
The State Department recommendation is for travelers to the region to have high situational awareness as crimes and shootings can happen anywhere and anytime. Unfortunately, some of these incidents may have travelers caught in the crossfire.
There is a special advisory for visitors in the centro areas of Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen after dark. Travelers in these areas during the evening should remain in well-lit areas and tourist zones for their added protection.
The good news for travelers is most of the crimes involving travelers to the Mexican Caribbean are considered crimes of opportunity and usually involve the petty theft of consumer electronics and other expensive items left unattended at pools or beaches.
These crimes can typically be avoided by safeguarding the items and not leaving them unattended.
What Travelers Need to Know
While the increase in resort hotel taxes may not be popular with travelers to Cancun, visitors should appreciate that the added funds, in part, will be going towards increasing their safety and security.
The tax rate has not been increased since 2018 and will add additional funds to protect travelers using the latest technology, such as the deployment of more actively monitored video surveillance cameras in key tourist areas.
Even with the increase in tax funding to provide additional safety and security protection to travelers to the beach resort destination, travel experts highly recommend that travelers still purchase travel insurance to protect themselves in the event of being involved in a crime.
There are several affordable options available, depending on the duration of the trip, and the rates are typically cheaper when made before, or at the same time, as the original travel reservations. Waiting to purchase travel insurance increases the price as the travel date approaches.
Plan Your Next Cancun Vacation:
Traveler Alert: Don’t Forget Travel Insurance For Your Next Trip!
Choose From Thousands of Cancun and Riviera Maya Hotels, Resorts and Hostels with Free Cancellation On Most Properties
↓ Join the community ↓
The Cancun Sun Community FB group has all the latest travel news, conversations and tourism Q&A’s for the Mexican Caribbean
Subscribe to our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to The Cancun Sun’s latest breaking news affecting travelers, straight to your inbox.