Fee to film ruins

Considering a couple of excursions that include Mayan ruins and notice an additional fee to 'film' around the ruin sites.

Anyone paid this? Does this include taking photos as well as video or video cameras only?

Fee per person or per family?

With smartphones being mini media gadgets now does everyone pay the extra?

Which vendor are you using?

There might be a "fee" for professional filming. Or a ship sponsored excursion might be tacking on extra $ to get more out $ to them out of the excursion.

I don't ever recall Native Choice "charging a fee to film" Pictures and videos galore out on web.

Taking a Thomson organised tour. Just noticed in some of the info on Mayan ruins that there was a charge to film. Typically there was lack of clarity as to what this meant. Often recall in the past places forbidding cameras as they wanted to sell their own pics but pre mass internet.

Commercial filming might make sense cant see how it could be 'policed' otherwise. It was something like $8 from memory..will try and find it again.

Found it in the info for Costa Maya tour Kohunlich & Dzibanche Mayan Ruins Combo

'There's a government tax of 5 to 8 US dollars on the use of video cameras at the ruins.'

Hence my q re if people had to pay this. Could some tour companies add this into their tour price and get a blanket pass for photos?

Native choice website also mentions this fee. I would Li,e to know is it per person because if it is, that sucks as we all have cameras in my group or camera phones. https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/chacchoben-ruins-tour

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Native choice website also mentions this fee. I would Li,e to know is it per person because if it is, that sucks as we all have cameras in my group or camera phones. https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/chacchoben-ruins-tour

 

 

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Good question to ask David or Ivan then. Reads to me you can't take videos, but stills are okay. But Native Choice will set you straight.

found this on an excursion site which hopefully is an accurate explanation. Obviously it was never considered such advances would take place in photography!

'There's a copyright fee of $5.00USD for the use of video cameras at Dzibanche, this fee isn't included in the tour price, it's paid at the entrance of the site and applies only for video cameras. There's no fee for the use of film or digital photo cameras even if they can take video.'

I really think this applies to people who plan to take in a large video camera and film. I've seen people shooting video with their cell phones and I know they didn't pay the fee.

When I visited Dzibanche and Kohunlich in early January, I paid $4 so I could use my phone to take pictures and video. The fee covered both sites (I was on a combo tour that day). The Mexican authorities seem to have finally realized that phones and tablets can take video. Surprisingly, the next day in Cozumel, there was no fee at San Gervasio. There was also no fee at Tulum when I was there this month. So it seems to vary by archaeological site.

update. we werent charged any fee in Feb when we went to Chacchoben. we had dslr, cell phones , and go pros. no "video cameras" though

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When I went to Tulum on a cruise tour a couple years ago, I was advised that I had to pay a $5 fee by the guide when I enter for my camcorder. No problem until I showed up to pay the fee. The government official with 3 armed military took my camcorder and accused me of being a paparazzi which is an illegal profession in Mexico and threatened me with prison. It was quite a scary few minutes until the tour guide convinced the man in charge I was just a cruise tourist. He let me go but kept my camcorder. I did the tour with the guide and the guide warned everyone that "today, no one is allowed to take pictures, the photo permits are not being issued" About 25 people were not pleased with this. As we were leaving I decided to try and get my camcorder back. After a few words with the guy in charge and $50 USD, he went inside and gave me my camcorder with a smile.

I think this is typical Mexican government, the rules change by the hour. Now I refuse to visit the mainland and stay on Cozumel, take pictures with my cell phone. The new cameras in the phones are quite good.