In Mexico City, residents fear displacement by remote workers able to pay higher rents. This means that remote workers may particularly contribute to gentrification as they seek out places where their dollars go furthest. Living a vacation lifestyle on a long-term basis implies a need to choose lower-cost destinations. Services like VRBO and Airbnb make it easy for digital nomads to rent apartments for weeks or months at a time, and people around the world are increasingly alarmed at how quickly such rentals can change the affordability and character of a place. This dynamic is only exacerbated by long-term tourists. Where once there was a neighborhood food stand, now there’s an upscale cafe. Their buying power increases costs and displaces residents, while traditional businesses make way for ones that cater to their tastes. Whether they’re lazing around or plugging away on their laptops, privileged tourists ultimately change the economics and demographics of an area. Digital Nomads Look To Stretch Their Dollars Many of Bali’s beautiful rice fields and surrounding lush forests, for example, are being converted into hotels and villas to serve tourism. This raises the chances that outsiders become a grating presence.Įxcessive numbers of visitors can also raise sustainability concerns, as waves of tourists tax the environment and infrastructure of many destinations. They spend more time using places and resources traditionally dedicated to the local residents. Remote workers stay anywhere from weeks to months – or longer. But conventional tourists come and go – their stays usually range from a couple of nights to a couple of weeks. Generally the terms are used to express minor annoyance over crowds and increased traffic. In our research on digital nomads in Bali, locals referred to digital nomads and other tourists as “bules” – a word that roughly translates as “foreigners.” In the U.S., New Jersey shore residents have long used the term “ shoobies” to denigrate the annual throng of short-term summer tourists. Perhaps the classic example is Venice, where high numbers of tourists stress the canal-filled city’s fragile infrastructure. These travelers are usually a welcome boost to the economy – up to a point. Wearing Out Their Welcomeįor as long as there’s been tourism, locals have griped about the outsiders who come and go.
Yet pushback from locals in cities ranging from Barcelona to Mexico City has made it clear that there are costs and benefits to an influx of remote workers.Īs we explain in our new book, “Digital Nomads: In Search of Freedom, Community, and Meaningful Work in the New Economy,” the trend of “work tourism” comes with a host of drawbacks. Hawaii became a popular destination for people looking to work remotely as jobs went online during the pandemic. For example, officials in Bali, Indonesia, are looking to formalize a process for remote workers to procure visas – “ the faster, the better,” as the head of the island’s tourism agency put it. These visas allow longer stays for remote workers and provide clarity about allowable work activities. Today, a growing number of countries offer so-called digital nomad visas. One idea involves stretching the meaning of tourism to include remote workers. And after experiencing economic losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, cities and countries are concocting ways to entice visitors. Our research has found that workers are eager to embrace the flexibility of not being tied to an office. Should your community welcome digital nomads – individuals who work remotely, allowing them freedom to bounce from country to country?
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