Tourism leaders have warned of a possible decline in tourist visits to the Mayan site of Chichén Itza after the admission fee was doubled from 242 to 480 pesos ($12 to $24).
It will cause financial losses to tour providers and cruise lines which have annual agreements and have priced their product based on the previous entry fee, said Tourist Business Council of Yucatan president, Jaime Solís Garza.
In a letter to lawmakers, he said tour companies will likely take clients to the Mayan site at Tulum instead where admission costs less than $4.
The tourism sector was not given advance warning of the fee increase.
Chichen Itza is a popular side trip for tourists staying iat Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Solís Garza said about 90% of visitors are foreign and the vast majority visit the UNESCO World Heritage site on day trips from the neighboring state of Quintana Roo.
