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Quintana Roo signs new Cruise Tourism Development Fund with Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — An agreement has been signed with cruise ship companies to charge passengers an additional $5.00 USD. That money will be forwarded to the state of Quintana Roo for infrastructure docking improvements in Cozumel and Mahahual.

The agreement was signed Wednesday “establishing the payment of $5 USD per cruise passenger that will be used to improve the tourist infrastructure, the prevention of natural disasters and security in the ports of Cozumel and Mahahual,” Governor Mara Lezama said.

The new Cruise Tourism Development Fund agreement was signed between the State of Quintana Roo and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Executive Director Michele Paige and Adam Ceserano, President of the Association.

“The signing of this agreement shows my government’s commitment to continue working differently, hand in hand with each cruise line and the FCCA to improve our ports, remain competitive and provide well-being with shared prosperity to the people of Quintana Roo, who make tourism success possible,” said Governor Mara Lezama.

Governor Lezama and Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra also participated in the signing.

With the signing of this agreement, Quintana Roo not only strengthens its position as a top-level cruise destination, but also establishes a model of international collaboration promoting inclusive and sustainable development that, in turn, generates growth in cruise tourism that translates into shared prosperity for the people of Quintana Roo, Lezama explained in a statement.

The new agreement means each cruise ship passenger will be charged $5.00 USD that will be forwarded to Quintana Roo.
Photo: CGC August 28, 2024.

“This fund will be used to improve tourism infrastructure and public safety, and a percentage will be allocated to the prevention and response to natural disasters and health emergencies in the ports of Cozumel and Mahahual, in the Mexican Caribbean,” she added.

During the signing ceremony of the agreement, the parties highlighted that the government of Quintana Roo has become a strategic partner of the FCCA to focus even more on the growth of cruise tourism and its benefits for communities, mainly rural ones near Puerto Maya in Mahahual in the south of the state.

As part of the agreement, it was established that, in the first half of 2025, a fund will be created with equal contributions from the FCCA and the Government of Quintana Roo.

The contribution scheme to the Fund will be equal and will consist of $5 USD per passenger applied to itineraries of cruise lines that arrive in Quintana Roo, regardless of whether they make more than one stopover at the destination.

A Technical Committee that will work permanently will oversee the transparency and operation of the Trust Fund. The Committee will be composed of four representatives of cruise lines, four representatives of the state government and one vote of the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo, in total, nine members.

The new Cruise Tourism Development Fund agreement was signed Wednesday. Photo: CGC August 28, 2024.

Michele Paige, CEO of FCCA, saw Quintana Roo as a legacy for the people. “We are honored that the State government has placed its trust in us. Through this agreement, FCCA is fully committed to fulfilling initiatives that focus on assisting the private sector, improving employment, encouraging the purchase of local goods by cruise lines and more, so that locals prosper with the economic impact that the industry brings.

“I am very excited to see what this will bring for the destination and, most importantly, for the people, building a long-term vision with transparency,” she said.