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Tourism Spain: future destination for teleworking?
Perhaps not the first, but the most famous teleworker was the English writer
Agatha Christie
(1890-1976), who in search of a quiet place to dedicate herself fully to writing and to get away from her recent divorce, headed to
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
back in 1920. Accompanied by her daughter Rosalind, her secretary
Carlo
and a typewriter, she settled in the Metropol hotel.
This is where part of his book
The Mystery of the Blue Train
(1928) would come out and he would find inspiration for the story
The company lady
(1933).
And as in all telework, the creator of the charismatic inspector
Hercules Poirot
took time between galleys to take sea baths and, according to the Canarian authorities speculate, to ride the odd wave as a good
surfing fan
that she was.
Agatha Christie, one of the first European women to surf.
A century later, there are many who - not with a typewriter but with laptops - respond to their emails under a palm tree.
Whether salaried or self-employed, it is estimated that there are
millions of digital nomads
around the world, a phenomenon that several countries are trying to take advantage of.
Steve King, an analyst at Emergent Research, estimates that the number of digital nomads in the US alone was 10.9 million in 2020: 33% more than the previous year.
EL NÓMADA, A WELCOME TOURIST
The economic potential of this phenomenon has not escaped the authorities of the most diverse countries, which have facilitated the reception of this new type of tourist: it leaves money at the destination and also does not take work away from locals.
The so-called digital nomads have their own criteria when choosing where to work: the cost of living, the
climate
, the
internet connection
and now also the epidemiological situation.
"We are looking for countries where the rules are more flexible," explains Arnaud Wilbrod, 35, who takes advantage of the "open bars and restaurants" of Tallinn, Estonia while continuing his activity as a digital content publisher.
Last summer,
Georgia
introduced a visa that allows workers who earn at least $ 2,000 a month (1,600 euros) to live in the former Soviet republic for a year.
Although the health situation has deteriorated since then, 787 digital nomads have settled there.
There aren't many, but the program is primarily aimed at "attracting high-income visitors," says Tea Chanchibadze, a spokeswoman for Georgia's national tourism administration.
Fabrika Tbilisi creative space, in Georgia.
South African Jenni Pringle "Googled a
safe and cheap country
."
I knew "nothing about Georgia," says the 61-year-old English teacher, who works remotely.
Seduced by the "beauty" of the country, she is considering permanently settling there.
THE FIRST TOWN FOR DIGITAL NOMADS
In
Costa Rica
, a law is being prepared so that teleworkers with good incomes can stay in the country longer.
"We are one of the
most connected
countries
in Latin America
", affirms the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura.
But these arrivals are not always welcomed.
In January, an American couple was expelled from
Bali
(Indonesia) after they published tweets frowned upon by the authorities in which they described the island as a
paradise for homosexuals.
At the other extreme are destinations such as the Portuguese archipelago of
Madeira
, which has opened a village for digital nomads, the first of its kind in Europe, with a shared workspace and a hundred teleworkers, housed in some 40 houses.
The local authorities intend to "make Madeira known as one of the
best places in the world
to work remotely," explains Margarida Luis, spokesperson for the regional economy secretariat.
Gonçalo Hall, the businessman behind the project, is convinced: "In terms of teleworking, there will be no going back".
Canary Islands, safe bet
For its part, in Spain there are already several destinations that are postulated as
telework paradises.
This is the case of
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
one of the most complete cities in our geography for someone who considers
traveling and working
at the same time.
Nomads have become a frequent, active and unique public in Las Palmas thanks to the conditions that the city meets:
good weather, air and digital connectivity,
outdoor leisure, surfing, cosmopolitan and open character, cultural and gastronomic appeal. .. And also due to the evolution of an increasingly entrepreneurial and traveling local population, which has known how to implement collaborative work spaces, known as
coworkings,
in the urban fabric
.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a telework destination since 2015.
The international visibility of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as a destination for digital nomads skyrocketed long before the pandemic.
Already in January 2015, the publication in the
New York Times
of the article
A Desk in Paradise
alluded to the pioneering coworking The Surf Office, with the presence of workers from large digital companies who spent long periods in the city, organizing their professional lives by surfing time.
The city has woven in these years of experience a whole network of
labor and social
relations
and services
in order to welcome all digital nomads and make them feel at home.
In fact, it has always had a very good position in the Nomad List, the ranking for the valuation of destinations in the world prepared by the users themselves.
DO YOU JOIN THE NOMAD PHILOSOPHY?
Lonely Planet has published the Digital Nomad Guide (15 euros) in which it gathers the keys for those who decide to combine work and tourism, a trend that has become an option for many professionals, especially in times of pandemic.
Throughout 184 pages it reveals the practical aspects of this lifestyle as well as the ideal destinations to put it into practice.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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