Canada’s Mexico visa requirements limit country’s tourism potential, says tour operator

The visa requirements Canada has imposed on Mexicans limit the full market potential the country offers as a source of tourists, according to a Mexican tour operator. 

The Canadian government sees Mexico as a growing market for tourism and projects visits to rise by 40 per cent over the next four years, hitting nearly half a million visitors spending about $1 billion a year by 2030.  

While the number of Mexicans visiting Canada is growing, the visa requirements reimposed in the late winter of 2024 had an immediate impact on the figures, said Jesus Martinez, general manager of Dream Destinations Mexico. 

“We haven’t recovered the numbers that we would love, but the numbers are going up,” said Martinez in an interview with CBC News.

He said scrapping the visa is on his “wish list,” but he isn’t holding his breath waiting for the change. 

“It’s not up to us,” said Sanchez, whose company builds tour packages it sells to agencies and individuals. 

The government under prime minister Justin Trudeau initially lifted the visa requirement for Mexicans travelling to Canada in 2016. His government then reimposed the requirement, under U.S. pressure. 

Mexicans are eligible to enter Canada by air under an Electronic Travel Authorization if they hold a valid, non-immigrant U.S. visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years.

‘Untapped’ potential

Martinez was attending a type of speed-dating event this week for Canadian and Mexican tour operators at a Mexico City hotel hosted by Destination Canada, the federal Crown corporation responsible for promoting Canadian tourism. 

Canadian and Mexican tour operators participated in 12-minute rounds of one-on-one meetings to build ties and business opportunities. 

During one of the rounds, Martinez sat down with Tobias Barth, who co-owns Whitehorse’s Northern Lights Resort and Spa. 

“If we think about the aurora [borealis] viewing, how does that work on a day-to-day visit?” said Sanchez. 

“That’s a really good question,” said Barth. “The big benefit of being at Northern Lights Resort and Spa in the Yukon is that you don’t have to go anywhere … [Tourists] can see the northern lights right out of bed.” 

Barth told CBC News that Mexico is currently the resort’s fourth-largest source country for customers, behind U.S., domestic and Australian visitors. 

Darlene Fedoroshyn, executive director of international marketing with Travel Alberta, said Mexico is a potential source of one million visitors a year for the province.

“The potential is pretty untapped at the moment,” said Fedoroshyn. “The numbers are staggering, and so what we have to do is try to convert that.” 

Fedoroshyn acknowledged that the visa requirement could be a stumbling block for some Mexicans seeking to visit Canada. 

“We always want to advocate for making it easier to come into Canada and we would work really hard with our federal government and with our [provincial] government to try to make it simpler for travellers,” she said. 

Mexican visitors at pre-pandemic levels

Canadian federal Tourism Minister Rechie Valdez attended the Destination Canada event. Valdez, who is also minister of women and gender equality, was scheduled to meet with Mexico’s secretary of tourism on Wednesday. 

Valdez sidestepped CBC’s questions on whether Canada would consider rescinding the visa requirement for Mexican visitors. 

She said Canada is now seeing pre-pandemic levels of Mexican tourists and that the numbers continue to grow. Valdez said she would share any feedback she receives during her time in Mexico with her cabinet colleagues when she returns to Ottawa. 

“It’s really important for us to ensure that we are doing everything we can to promote the growth and strength of our tourism sector,” she said.