Starting on Saturday, November 9, a visit to the Mexican state of Baja California Sur will cost you extra.
The home state of popular Pacific Coast resort cities including Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo is instituting a tourism tax that each foreign visitor will have to pay, according to a government announcement.
The charge will be 350 pesos per person. With current exchange rates, that comes out to about US$18.
The fee can be paid at digital kiosks at the airport or online at travelerfundbcs.gob.mx.
When announcing the new tax on November 1, Baja Sur Governor Carlos Mendoza said that money brought in from the visitor fee will go to fund social services and infrastructure projects throughout the state.
As the Associated Press points out, charging tourists a direct fee like this is unique in Mexico, where cities tend to rely on indirect taxes for hotels or airport use.
