Posted On 04 Mar 2021By : Eleftheria Pantziou
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has forced many
people to change the way they live and work but has also given remote workers
the opportunity to relocate and tap into the benefits of digital nomadism.
Digital nomads are people that travel intensively and
“take” their job with them.
In recent years, the term “remote worker” has emerged
stronger, referring to people that work remotely as independent professionals
or for a company, but do not constantly travel.
Since early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has created
a new kind of digital nomad: This is a person that works remotely (usually) for
large corporations and temporarily relocates but will probably continue to
travel after the pandemic subsides.
A significant change
This new trend is considered by travel and labor
experts as one of the most significant changes in the way people work and
travel globally.
“It is one of the greatest shifts that we’ll probably
see in our lifetime,” said David Williams, co-founder and CEO of NomadX , a
global co-living marketplace for digital nomads, remote workers and digital
professionals.
Williams participated in a panel discussion titled “Is
Greece attractive for digital migrants?” that was recently held online during
the “Greece: Competing for global talent” virtual event.
“It is also a great opportunity for countries to adopt
new visa policies and attract remote workers. There are so many remote workers
around the world at the moment, and many wish to become digital nomads,” he
added
According to Williams, there are around 10 million
digital nomads in the United States at the moment.
Moreover, the number of digital nomads is expected to
reach 1 billion globally by 2035.
What do digital nomads seek?
Southeastern Mediterranean destinations such as the
Canary islands and Portugal have attracted a large number of digital nomads
during the last few years. They are considered ideal destinations for offering
a number of key incentives.
Further analyzing the market, Goncalo Hall, co-founder
of Remote Work Movement Podcast referred to the “tools” that digital nomads
seek for in a destination. These are:
– high-quality internet
– communities of like-minded people
– opportunities to mingle with locals
– affordable housing
– government incentives and
– partnerships with local businesses and international
companies.
Hall’s company provides interviews of outstanding
people doing their best work, remotely.
Is Greece attractive for digital nomads?
Referring to Greece’s potential, David William said
the country is considered a phenomenal location for digital nomads due to its
climate, history and other comparative advantages.
Citing data from NomadX’s social media community
counting 12,000 active members, Williams said that most digital nomads working
from Greece are based in Athens, as well as on the islands of Rhodes, Santorini
and Mykonos.
Challenges
However, he stressed that digital nomads working from
Greece are up against significant challenges including poor infrastructure and
slow wifi connection; insufficient taxi services; unaffordable housing; lack of
government incentives and niche-friendly options for non residents.
In order to overcome these obstacles and move forward,
Greece should build a digital nomad community with the support of the public
and private sector, according to Goncalo Hall. He added that the public sector
could offer the necessary infrastructure while private bodies could provide
their knowhow.
Nacho Rodríguez, founder of repeople.co, agreed with
Hall.
“Greece features a large tourism industry which has
obviously stopped due to the pandemic. All economies that depend on tourism are
looking for alternatives. Attracting talent and remote workers can work as a
substitute for tourism,” he said during the same event.
What needs to be done?
According to Rodríguez, if Greece manages to take the
necessary steps and create a digital nomad community, reform taxes and
infrastructure, and build an integrated package, it will be able to attract
digital nomads.
Repeople.co is a company working with digital nomads
on the Canary Islands.
Greece: Gov’t efforts and initiatives
Attracting remote workers has become a priority for
the Greek government in recent months.
Speaking during the same event, Greek Tourism Minister
Harry Theoharis referred to the progress that has been made with the roll out
of advanced 5G technology in Greece, and the introduction of tax incentives for
digital nomads.
In addition, Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs
Miltiadis Varvitsiotis referred to the launch of a business visa for
entrepreneurs that wish to visit Greece and establish business relations and
partnerships; and a student visa for students that wish to tap into the
educational opportunities offered in Greece.
Varvitsiotis also announced the establishment of an
integrated digital service for digital nomads looking to relocate to Greece.
The “Greece: Competing for global talent” virtual
event was organized by the Delphi Economic Forum.
