Tourism Jalisco And Airbnb Agree On Payment Of Lodging Tax

In order to boost the tourism sector and strengthen the destinations of Jalisco, as well as to make visible the value chain of MSMEs, the Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco (Secturjal) and the travel platform Airbnb signed, in December last year, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which includes in addition to tourism promotion, the innovative regulation of the activity, exchange of statistical information and work with hosts. The agreement highlights the collection and payment of the Lodging Tax (ISH) in the entity, and also includes the joint analysis and monitoring of public policies in order to promote innovative regulation for short-term lodging services, including those offered by digital platforms, as well as their tax implications. It is worth noting that according to a study conducted by The CIU1, it was estimated that at a national level, short-term lodging platforms, including Airbnb and others, would have contributed up to 221.5 million pesos in 2021 in a scenario of full tax responsibility, in which all players in the sector would contribute with the payment of taxes. TOURISM ALLIANCE The Secretary of Tourism of Jalisco, Vanessa Pérez Lamas, pointed out that "through this alliance in which the public and private sectors come together, we seek to promote and foster tourism development in the state of Jalisco.
Tourism is an engine of economic development and social inclusion and today more than ever, due to the effects of the pandemic in the sector, it is necessary to promote the reactivation and economic growth of tourist destinations". On the other hand, Airbnb will contribute with the creation of a statistical information portal, called Portal de la Ciudad, so that the state can learn about new tourism trends and other relevant data for the development and dissemination of tourism in the state. Likewise, it will continue with the tourism promotion program in order to contribute to the reactivation of the sector, the local economic development of the destinations and stimulate investment in the state. In this regard, last year Airbnb and the State Ministry of Tourism created the Jalisco de Mi Alma campaign, which highlights a series of routes to get to know the best of Jalisco. In addition, through social networks, 104 hosts shared their favorite restaurants and places in Jalisco reaching more than 83 thousand users on platforms through the hashtag #JaliscodemiAlma. PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM The agreement is also expected to develop a promotional program for more Jalisco residents to participate in the tourism industry as hosts, as well as in the promotion of local destinations. Likewise, a pilot program will be developed to train hosts from Jalisco and thus generate a greater number of in-person experiences in the state available on the Airbnb application and platform. Additionally, within the community of hosts in Jalisco, we will seek to develop an ambassador program so that, through Airbnb, we can promote the state's tourism offerings, as well as the services of tourism MSMEs in Jalisco. "With the signing of this agreement, Airbnb reaffirms its commitment to authorities, destinations and their communities to boost economic recovery and the empowerment of the entire value chain of the sector, especially in non-traditional tourism corridors and in entities of great relevance for tourism, such as Jalisco," said Jorge Balderrama, public policy manager of Airbnb Mexico. COMMON GOALS Both Secturjal and Airbnb will work in a coordinated manner to achieve the objectives established in the MOU. The signing of the agreement was made possible thanks to the collaboration of Juan Partida, from the Jalisco Ministry of Finance; the Fray Antonio Alcalde Foundation; the Guadalajara Guadalajara Trust; Carlos Wolstein and Gustavo Stauffert from the Guadalajara Visitors and Convention Bureau; Juan Carlos Mondragón, representative of the Hotel Association of Jalisco;