Cozumel’s tourism and diving sectors are facing an international reputation crisis after a foreign tourist publicly called for a boycott of the island and Mexico. The backlash follows an incident at the local airport, where Customs (Aduana) officials imposed an exorbitant and disputed fee on specialized underwater photography equipment, despite the traveler providing proof of prior ownership.
The controversy began when Jacques Oiseau, an avid diver arriving from the United States, was targeted by Customs personnel upon landing in Cozumel. Despite carrying a single camera—well within the legal limit of two cameras permitted by the National Customs Agency—officials assessed his gear, including an underwater housing and three lenses, as “excess professional equipment.” They slapped him with a fee of nearly 8,000 pesos, representing 19% of an arbitrarily estimated value.
Oiseau presented a purchase receipt showing the camera cost only 6,000 pesos, along with a previous Customs receipt proving he had already brought the gear into the country on an earlier trip and paid over 6,000 pesos in taxes then. Officials refused to budge, telling him he could file an appeal at their offices during weekday business hours. When Oiseau visited the office on Friday, he found it closed and was told to return on Monday—an impossibility since his flight departed before then. With no supervisors available, no remote appeal process, and no alternative solutions, he returned to the United States out hundreds of dollars and empty-handed.
Recounting his experience on social media and major diving forums like DiveTalk, Oiseau noted that similar predatory practices years ago drove divers away from Los Cabos. With his post gaining over 85,000 views, online communities began echoing his call to boycott Cozumel in favor of destinations with fairer, more transparent entry rules.
Local Response and Institutional Action
Alarmed by the viral backlash and potential economic fallout, the Caribbean Divers Syndicate (Sindicato de Buzos del Caribe) issued an urgent letter to President Claudia Sheinbaum and Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama. The union warned that arbitrary customs enforcement and a lack of clear, accessible dispute mechanisms threaten the livelihoods of thousands who depend on dive tourism—a high-spending sector crucial to the region’s economy.
In response, Quintana Roo’s Tourism Secretary, Bernardo Cueto, announced he has met with Luis Antonio Balcázar Bustos, head of Customs in Cancún. Officials have promised to provide clearer information regarding the temporary import of professional gear and to collaborate with specialists on updating permitted equipment lists. However, local operators note that the agreements stop short of addressing the underlying conduct and discretion of customs personnel at airport checkpoints.
