New Passport Law Will Affect Traveling to Mexico
New Passport Law to be Instated on January 23, 2007
MEXICO CITY, December 27 2006- Starting on January 23, the U.S. Department of State will require U.S. citizens (including children) traveling by air to present a valid passport for travel and re-entry into the United States. Mexico tourism officials do not expect this new law to have a substantial impact on tourism in the middle and long term as the majority of international visitors to Mexico by air already hold passports.
Growth in Tourism According to the U.S. Department of State, 27 percent of Americans (about 70 million people) already have a passport, and the number of passports issued continues to grow, with 10 million passports issued during fiscal year 2005 and 12 million expected to be issued in fiscal year 2006. As the percentage of citizens holding passport increases, so does the chance of them leaving the country for tourism.
People will feel a heightened sense of safety flying with a passport as the authenticity is much easier to verify.
The Immigration Institute of Mexico (INM) estimates that 75.8 percent of the Americans traveling to Mexico by air in the first nine months of 2006 did so with a passport even though they were not required to do so, meaning that they either obtained a passport specifically to travel to Mexico or they already possessed a passport. Despite the fact that United States’ majority does not own passports, this statistic means that most travelers from the U.S. to Mexico by air do.
Rodolfo Elizondo, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism stated that “Mexico’s proximity to the US, our country’s cultural heritage, the wide number of tourist attractions that we offer, and the hospitality of our people all contribute to Mexico’s ranking as the number one international destination for Americans. We are confident that these attractions, not documentation requirements, are what make so many millions of Americans choose Mexico as their vacation destination.”
Strategic Campaigns Mexico is using a variety of different tactics to educate consumers about the United States’ new passport requirement. The Mexico Tourism Board is implementing several initiatives, including distributing press and video news releases, micromedia flashes and information packets; organizing consumer contests and events; and giving out promotional materials, such as passport holders. The MTB has also added the slogan “We want you back in Mexico. Please get a passport” to its advertising in an attempt to entice U.S. citizens to obtain their passports.
In addition to the Mexico Tourism Board’s efforts, destinations that receive large numbers of American tourists are also doing their part to educate Americans about the law. The Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched “V.I.P., Very Important Passport” program encouraging U.S. visitors to spread the word. The campaign will include posters created for high-traffic U.S. vacationer sites that include relevant U.S. passport information and the U.S. Department of State website address. They have also distributed hundreds of thousands of informational coupons about the new passport requirement, some of which are imprinted by local retailers with an individual message of their own, ranging from a discount to special value offer.
“Our campaign will reach virtually every American visitor vacationing in Cancun for the next three months,” said Artemio Santos, chief executive officer for the Cancun CVB. “We are providing tourism businesses like hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions with the necessary information and tools to reach visitors to Cancun several times during an individual vacationer’s stay. This is a destination-wide undertaking,” said Santos.
Tour operators and travel agents are also strategizing to educate their customers on the new law. Funjet, one of the top U.S. tour operators for Mexico, has created an online program to inform travel agents on the new requirements and how to reach out to their customers proactively regarding passports. The program includes guidelines for organizing “passport parties” for consumers, designed to facilitate passport processing for people who have traveled to Mexico in the past with other forms of identification.
For more information, please visit http://travel.state.gov/passport and www.visitmexico.com.
About the Mexico Tourism Board The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
About Chichen-Itza, the World Wonder Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation is revising the original seven ancient wonders of the world, and Mexico’s Chichen-Itza in Yucatan State is one of 21 finalists to become a new Seven World Wonder. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, Chichen-Itza is considered to have been one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatan peninsula, and today is one of the largest and most impressive archaeological sites in Mexico. To vote for Chichen-Itza as one of the new Seven World Wonders, visit www.new7wonders.com
