Tijuana’s Municipal Secretariat of Economic Development has issued an open call inviting any business chamber or tourism association to distribute free Fast Lane border passes to U.S. visitors coming to shop, dine, and stay in the city. The move comes after previous pass allocations managed through CANACO saw lower-than-expected redemption rates.
Department head Pedro Montejo Peterson noted that the city has partnered with CANACO on three prior occasions: Buen Fin 2024, Buen Fin 2025, and last year’s holiday season, supplying 2,000 passes for each campaign. He acknowledged that the turnout fell short of expectations.
According to figures presented by Montejo Peterson, CANACO distributed 118 passes during Buen Fin 2024, resulting in just 78 border crossings, or a 3.9% utilization rate. During Buen Fin 2025, that figure dropped to 1.5% with only 31 crossings, though it rebounded to 12% or 252 crossings during the Christmas season.
While the city will continue partnering with CANACO this year, Montejo Peterson emphasized that the goal is to drive higher traffic and create a level playing field across retail stores, shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels. To achieve this, the invitation is now open year-round, not just for Buen Fin, to organizations such as CANIRAC and the Hotel Association. Previously, several major shopping centers were excluded simply because they were not affiliated with CANACO, which had been selected due to its established infrastructure.
Interested organizations can now sign a formal agreement with the Secretariat to receive complimentary passes to offer directly to their U.S. customers.
Montejo Peterson also underscored that the Tijuana Funds is funded entirely by Fast-Lane pass sales. Because of this, he explained, giving away passes, an initiative launched by Mayor Ismael Burgueño to the economy, must generate verifiable economic returns.
How Businesses Can Access the Free Passes
When asked about the rules for distributing the passes during Buen Fin, Montejo Peterson pointed out that the municipal Revenue Law grants the Secretariat broad authority to issue passes and courtesies.
The city plans to operate through formal agreements based on existing infrastructure and member communication channels. The Secretariat will supply the passes while the participating chambers or businesses set the customer eligibility rules such as requiring a minimum purchase and verifying that the shopper is visiting from the United States. The agency imposes no additional requirements to participate.
