Mara Lezama, Governor of Quintana Roo, signs a historic fund for cruise tourism with shipping companies

For the first time in the history of Quintana Roo, an agreement has been reached establishing the payment of 5 dollars 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, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Executive Director Michele Paige, and Adam Ceserano, President of the Association, signed this agreement to create the Cruise Tourism Development Fund

-Michele Paige highlighted that this agreement represents a legacy for the people of Quintana Roo, highlighting the transparency of the document and the trust in the State Government.

Miami.- The government of Quintana Roo, under the leadership of Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, signed an agreement with shipping lines, through the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), to create the Cruise Tourism Promotion Fund.

“This is a historic day in this New Era of Tourism in the Mexican Caribbean. 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.

Quintana Roo's Governor Mara Lezama and Tourism Secretary Bernardo Cueto Riestra participated in the signing. The Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association FCCA was represented by CEO Michele Paige and President Adam Ceserano.

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.

“We are proud to see how, through a New Agreement for the Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo and the Sustainable Tourism Master Plan 2030, the government and the private sector can work together through transparency and accountability, but also with social justice for the workers of this industry,” said the head of the Executive.

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.

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 US dollars 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.

For her part, 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 the New Agreement for Well-being and Development. 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.”

Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) was established in 1972. It is a non-profit trade organization representing the cruise industry and the private and public sectors in destinations in the Caribbean, Latin America and Mexico. Together with the cruise lines that are part of the FCCA, they operate more than 90 percent of the global cruise capacity.

Present at the event, representing the government of Quintana Roo, were the Secretary of Tourism, Bernardo Cueto Riestra, and the General Director of the Comprehensive Port Administration, Vagner Elbiorn Vega.

FCCA President Adam Ceserano and Vice President of Government Affairs for Latin America Carnival Corporation & PLC. Global Nexus President Rubén Olmos and Vicente Mendoza.

Source: Government of the State of Quintana Roo.