THE DIGITAL NOMADS

Indonesia Announces, “Digital Nomad Visas’’ For Travellers 

Digital Nomad Visa

“Digital Nomad Visas” has been announced by Indonesia for travellers to attract foreign tourists as their earnings come from outside the country. Bali is a popular destination for bars & beaches. Indonesia is aspiring to promote another element through these visas — the spiritual element.Since the onset of the pandemic, a new category of digital nomad has emerged: "anywhere workers." Despite the fact that many nations have reopened their offices after the pandemic, many still conduct their business remotely or from home.

Who are Digital Nomads?

 Digital Nomads are those who decide to work freely and remotely. They prefer to spend their earnings in the country they are visiting rather than sticking to a single job.

Digital nomads travel and explore while working. Indonesia has given the visa for digital nomads for 5 years. This is the longest tourism visa ever for Indonesia. People who belong to this category are those who as they travel and soak up the sights & interests of the country, continue to work for their living, earning in the nation they work but spending the bucks in the nation they travel to. Indonesia hopes to invite more than 3 million people as digital nomads into their country over the next year to explore spiritual retreats as well as the eco-tourism of Indonesia. Indonesia has replaced their 3S (sun, sea, & sand) with serenity, spirituality, & sustainability. As long as they work earning their livelihood from their working countries, digital nomads can enjoy their stay in Indonesia, including Bali, & live without paying any tax. 

Companies Provide “ Work from Anywhere”

Most businesses now provide their workers the freedom to "work from anywhere," whether that be at their home office, another state, or even halfway across the world.

Some companies, like GitLab, Zapier, & Doist, have embraced an all-remote model, doing away with offices entirely. Others, like Shopify & Twitter, are keeping their physical offices but using a “remote-first” mindset. Others are still exploring hybrid-remote models, whether that means allowing certain roles to work remotely, or (as Google announced in 2021) allowing annual periods of work-from-anywhere. 

Bloomberg Reports

As per Bloomberg most (95%), digital nomad respondents choose Bali as the place to be. Apart from Indonesia, a similar concept has been offered by many other countries. In March, a new permit was released by Italy for non-EU nationals, or digital nomads, who without a visa can stay in the country for up to 90 days. Antigua & Barbuda offer a digital nomad visa for two years where the travellers will maintain their own health insurance. A year-long remote working visa is offered by Barbados which can be extended further. Spain, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Mauritius, Norway & Iceland offer nomad visas, to name a few. 

Around 10.9 million American workers described themselves as digital nomads in 2020 which was above 49 % from 2019. As the pandemic occurred most of the work areas were moved on the web, while certain workplaces have started to open, most organisations have declared remote work. Presently, as the world has moved to vaccinations and all borders have opened, individuals can continue their regular jobs from any corner of the world.

Opportunity for Digital Nomads

 Work-from-anywhere, where workers enjoy the flexibility to live in a place of their choice, is here to stay, & countries are in a race to attract the growing class of "Digital nomads," or transnational remote workers, In conclusion, digital nomads foster relationships with locals while contributing time and money to the community's economy knowledge workers — a win-win for both local communities & remote workers. Finally, digital nomads might play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship & the creation of technology clusters around the world. New connections & new enterprises can be spurred by foreign entrepreneurs congregating in a shared space for even a few months. In nutshell, digital nomads, and remote workers in general, can be a boon to any economy — spending money, facilitating collaboration, & spurring innovation.