Skift Take
The pandemic may accelerate the existing trend of digital nomads in an unexpected way — and some destinations are taking notice at a time when leisure travel is decimated.
The dream of living life as a "digital nomad" is not new. The term first entered the popular imagination around 2014, when freelance designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and writers with privileged passports would head to southeast Asia or eastern Europe for a cheaper lifestyle reliant only on Wi-Fi and a little bit of hustle.
It was an enviable, if niche, dream for many. But the forces of the pandemic have changed that a bit. With the cultural acceptance of remote work accelerating years in a matter of months, more and more individuals are seeing that not only do they not need to work from an office, but they don't need to work from home, either.
Some tourism destinations are pivoting their offering to cater to this recently-expanded market. And in doing so, they are helping make up for the steep decline in short-term leisure tourism revenue. If travelers are avoiding coming for just a few days due to the headaches of travel restrictions, Covid testing on arrival, and/or quarantine, why not invite them to come for months?
One example is Bermuda, which opened its air borders to travelers on July 1 with required testing on arrival. Within weeks, said Glenn Jones, interim CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the industry had noted an uptick in people coming not for the extended weekends the tourism board was marketing, but rather weeks or months — or even those who we
