As of March 1, Canadians will need a passport to enter Mexico. Officially, this is not in response to the Canadian requirement that Mexicans possess both a passport and visa to enter Canada, but merely a result of enhanced security regulations. U.S. citizens coming to Mexico also must hold passports, since without them they may not be allowed to return to the United States.
The passport and visa rules are said to have hurt the tourism industry more than is generally realized. Destinations such as Niagara Falls, where visitors previously zipped back and forth across the border by showing little more than a driver’s license, report business down sharply, since most Americans do not hold passports. Tijuana has lost its allure to many Americans, but the big reason for the decline in visit is said to be the passport requirement. And while Canada continues to woo visitors from Mexico, as a result of the visa requirement imposed last summer, many Mexicans are either staying home or going someplace else.
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Jimm Budd
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