Make that one less margarita on Cancun’s sandy beaches.

Tourists to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo will soon have to pay a new tax of around $ 11 before tanned and relaxed visitors leave the area.

The new tax of 225 pesos goes into effect April 1, as is demand for spring and summer travel from tourists stuck indoors for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Mexico isn’t the only place where tourists may face new travel taxes.

Hawaii has an additional tax on rental cars. Thailand added a $ 10 tourism fee, and even Montana, another outdoor spot that grew in popularity during the pandemic, is looking to generate more tourism tax revenue.

Quintana Roo, which is also home to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, is one of the hottest vacation destinations for American travelers who were wary of going too far abroad with ever-changing travel restrictions.

“Tourism taxes are not a new topic, but they have re-emerged due to COVID,” Lily Girma, global tourism reporter for Skift, said in an interview. “When COVID hit, many tourism organizations saw their taxes go away, or fall, or pause. Now the discussion has surfaced about how to maintain these revenues.”

Tourism taxes are a staple food for local governments around the world. Prior to COVID-19, the city of Dallas typically raised $ 4 to 7 million per month in hotel occupancy taxes, which was primarily used to fund the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. According to the city’s household numbers, that figure has fallen by more than two-thirds during the pandemic.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association estimates that state and local authorities in the U.S. alone lost about $ 13 billion in hotel tax revenue in 2020.

Typically, tourism taxes come from hotel stays and rental cars, but Girma said states are looking for ways to generate more reliable income as hotel stays have declined during COVID-19.

Marisol Venegas, undersecretary of tourism for Quintana Roo, told reporters that the tax is needed “because of the deficit the state of Quintana Roo will have due to the decline in tourism as a result of the pandemic,” according to the Riviera Maya Times.

Tourists to Quintana Roo can pay the tax at their hotel when booking through agents at the hotel or when leaving. The state has even set up a collection point at airports to pay the tax.

Tourism destinations are also looking to add taxpayer dollars for “regenerative” purposes, Girma said. These include education for the local population, environmental projects, or even spending money on restoring historical heritage sites.

There are also risks.

“The tourism actors are not happy because they believe that tourists won’t pay for it and will go elsewhere,” said Girma.

It is clear that US travelers have high demand for places like Cancun.

The airlines have planned 692 flights from DFW International Airport to land in the state of Quintana Roo in March. According to the airline’s Cirium data, this is the highest number of all months. American Airlines has ramped up flights to Cancun as well as other Mexican beach destinations. Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines are also adding hundreds of DFW flights to the Yucatan Peninsula state to meet demand.

Hawaii, which faced problems with overtourism prior to the pandemic, is considering charging a “climate protection fee” for rental cars. A dollar number has not been set for each car rental, but the bill has already passed Hawaii’s House of Representatives and is working its way through the Senate.

Thailand started imposing a new tourism tax in January, which is around $ 10 per tourist.

Montana, a pandemic hotspot for outdoor travelers seeking social distance, is considering legislation to ensure foreign travel booking companies pay the same taxes as state-owned companies.

Any new tax could hinder tourism in a climate where travelers are looking for cheap getaways, said Steve Schur, president of the Travel Technology Association.

“Leisure travelers are very sensitive to the price,” he said.

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