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El Salvador is levying a $1,000 fee on passengers originating from Africa or India, with the aim of reducing migration through the Central American country to the United States.
Travelers holding passports from India or any of over 50 African countries will be required to pay this fee, as stated in an announcement by El Salvador’s port authority on their website dated October 20th.
With the inclusion of Value Added Tax (VAT), passengers from the India and African countries will incur an extra expense of $1,130 (Rs 94,038.32). This additional fee came into effect on October 23. It was introduced in response to the increased utilization of El Salvador’s main international airport, as mentioned in the official statement.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele held a meeting this week with Brian Nichols, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. They discussed various issues, including “efforts to address irregular migration”. The US Customs and Border Patrol encountered a record-breaking 3.2 million migrants across the country during the fiscal year 2023, which ended in September.
El Salvador’s port authority said in a statement that the funds generated from the fees will be allocated for the enhancement and development of El Salvador’s main international airport, thereby improving the infrastructure, services, and facilities at the airport.
The airlines are mandated to provide daily reports to report daily to Salvadoran authorities regarding passengers coming from a group of 57 African countries and India.
Colombian airline Avianca, a major user of the hub, started informing passengers that those coming from India and African nations must make the obligatory fee payment prior to boarding flights to El Salvador.
The new tax comes at a time when many countries are either considering or have already implemented extra charges or taxes on travelers and tourists. This practice is being observed many countries such as Barcelona, Portugal, Valencia, Thailand, Venice, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, and France.
Due to various challenges like housing shortages, traffic congestion, noise, pollution, and litter, numerous sought-after European destinations are replacing their come-to-us’ tourism campaigns with anti-tourism strategies, urging visitors not to come to alleviate these issues.
The World Tourism Organization anticipates that the number of international tourists will exceed an astounding 2 billion by the end of this decade. This surge in mass tourism has led to mounting pressure on local and national governments to address the issue, resulting in the recent implementation of restrictions in some countries. (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/libyas-chaos-leaves-people-vulnerable-deadly-flooding-devastates-city/photostory/103630727.cms)
