Short-term vs long-term visitors: Digital nomads the new normal?

Greetings all and welcome to the digital nomad e-discussion group within the  Future Tourism (FUT-Tourism): Rethinking Tourism in times of COVID-19 project! My name is Jordanna Tennebaum and I am the Head of Solutions Mapping at the UNDP Accelerator Lab for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. I am pleased to be the first moderator in this forum as I have been researching the role of remote work programmes and digital nomads following the outset of the pandemic, particularly in relation to the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Many takeaways from our Accelerator Lab's analysis and findings can be read in our latest blog, which includes reference to the hope and promise that digital nomads bring to the region when it comes to MSMEs and reimagined travel. This involves shifts towards longer, more responsible stays in Eastern Caribbean communities, as well as strong interest expressed in greater integration with locals in categories such as skills sharing, purchasing and volunteering. 

As a digital nomad or someone with sectoral knowledge on remote work, what are your views? How can this grouping assist with reshaping the future of tourism for the better? Let us know here on SparkBlue! 

The economic future of many places in the Caribbean will depend on long stay visitors. We can build a lucrative and sustainable digital expat economy.

It is misleading to refer to them as digital nomads, because they are distinctly different from the experienced digital nomads who have been travelling all over the world for years to established digital nomad hotspots like Bali, Playa del Carmen, or Chiang Mai and moving every 2 or 3 months from place to place.

For the majority of Welcome Stamp arrivals in Barbados this is the first time they have worked remotely outside of their home jurisdiction, so most of them are better described as digital expats.

I think Peter makes a great point — what distinguishes the nomads I've met in Barbados from those I've met in South East Asia (not as a nomad myself at that time, but as a vacationer) is the intended length of their stay and the desire to integrate themselves into the local community. 

The type of digital expat Caribbean countries should aim to attract needs to take this into consideration. Those who are coming to the Caribbean instead of heading to a hostel in Thailand are likely a little older and have greater professional and financial stability. They're not looking to flit from one place to the next; rather, they're looking for a new home. 

That distinction is important to be mindful of when considering policy. In the same way that a great wealth of resources have been produced to help inform wonderful short-stay experiences for visitors, there needs to be thought given to the resources that digital expats need and want. This isn't limited to information, though that provides a great starting point — a guide to moving to the Caribbean generally, with specific insight on a country-by-country basis, will both help attract digital expats in the first place, and also help ensure their arrival and the beginning of their life here is smooth. Rather, this also must consider ongoing needs — the ability to easily open a bank account, to purchase a vehicle, to receive items from offshore. I've heard plenty of nomads express frustration with the difficulty they encounter in these regular activities. The answer to building a sustainable flow of incoming digital expats relies on identifying and addressing these pain points. 

Integration isn't a new home doesn't stop there. Points 3 & 4 in Laura's main post echo sentiments I've heard from many nomads in Barbados — there's a broad sense of appreciation for the opportunity to live somewhere so serene within an incredibly welcoming and warm local community, and a desire to give back. By tapping into the skillsets of nomads, and providing opportunities for them to participate in ethical tourism, this group will feel more at home, and simultaneously provide great benefit to the communities they now live in.

Thank you for sharing your insights Ben Fitzpatrick ! You raise some important points on the unique qualities of remote workers in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, including the realities of an older, more professional and financially independent demographic. Through your experiences, I would like to highlight your emphasis on "pain points," including key relocation items such as opening a bank account and buying a car, both of which are essential to the smooth transition of digitally-enabled workers. While you noted the importance of access to information, how do you think MSMEs can be apart of this response in removing some of the friction typically involved in setting up lives in the Caribbean? I am curious to know your thoughts. Similarly, Peter Lawrence Thompson addressed some of the differences of long-term stay digital expats in the region who are separate from prior digital nomads in that they are new to the remote experience. In building a sustainable digital expat economy, how can small business communities be early adopters and respond to this emerging market? For instance, can hotel rooms be converted into rentable office spaces with day packages?

Hello all. It's exciting to be a part of this discussion. As a Welcome Stamper who has spent the last nine months here in Barbados with my family of five, I have a somewhat different perspective on being a digital nomad (or digital expat, as Peter Lawrence Thompson more appropriately puts it). Families are a very different customer persona to consider, but a very lucrative one for Barbados and other islands if they can continue to be attracted here post-pandemic. While we may spend a little less at bars, family units spend way more resources on restaurants, groceries (need more food), housing (need more room) and activities (need to keep the kids occupied!). Family heads of household are also likely to hold more senior management roles at businesses they work for, leading to a higher level of income, and perhaps a halo effect of this kind of living arrangement being more acceptable at their places of work. Finally, families, I suspect, are also going to be much more attracted to a long-stay value proposition, as transitioning multiple people with multiple needs is much more involved that transitioning a 20-something nomad with a suitcase and a laptop bag.

In addition to the logistical needs highlighted by Ben Fitzpatrick, families have added needs if they are going to consider a long stay away from home. The most pressing need is education resources. Among families I've met this year, about half registered their kids in in-person school here in Barbados (when it was available), and half continued some form of remote-learning or home-schooling from their home country. We were in the former group, enrolling two of our children in a private secondary school, and our oldest at the University of the West Indies (UWI). This proved to be the most challenging part of moving here, mostly because the program was new and schools didn't know what to do with Welcome Stampers. Making this piece super simple is key to parents making the choice to come. Parents see school not only as a safe place to deposit their children every day while they work, but also as a way to connect themselves into the greater community. So schools that choose to participate in these Welcome Stamp programs should be making efforts to connect parents with each other.

Beyond schools, there are 101 other decisions parents need to make to accommodate the needs of their families while living away from home. Finding babysitters, house keepers, drivers, nannies, camp activities (both during summer and the frequent breaks), sports, weekend activities, etc, are all essential needs for parents, but also HUGE opportunities for MSME's to fill in the gaps and provide these services. Parents are used to paying dearly for high quality caregivers, money that can flow into the local economy here. Families, as mentioned earlier, are keen to connect with other families and build community. As Laura Hildebrandt mentions above, returning nationals become an interesting constituency to especially cater to, as they can be a strong connection between the local citizenry, and the transient Welcome Stampers who would love to interact with them if given the chance.

In addition to the individual services, there is probably a lot of money to be made bundling these services together in "family packages" or concierge services that could help families skip to steep learning curve of handling the needs of a family in a new environment. The magnitude of change a family deals with when moving is enough to scare most people off, especially in the post-pandemic period. If the various Welcome Stamp programs could really show parents that this could be an easy transition, and one their families would always cherish, the decision becomes a lot easier, and paves the way for developing this group as a key customer of the program.

Thank you, Derek Roth Gordon. It is extremely valuable to know first-hand about your experience as a digital expat. The family customer segment that you mentioned is a clear example of the new profile of travelers who are arriving in the Eastern Caribbean and the importance of understanding their pain points, as Ben mentioned, to connect those points with opportunities for MSMEs. Responding to Jordanna Tennebaum 's question? MSMEs need to adapt their businesses considering consumer insights based on their behavior, experiences, beliefs, needs, and desires. Just to give an example, according to Airbnb, pets are coming too. The number of services searched with the "allow pets" filter increased 90% compared to last year. Precisely, understanding customer insights would allow MSMEs to pivot, adapt and capture a new market niche.

Thank you Ben Fitzpatrick and Derek Roth Gordon for your interesting points! Although you are approaching this conversation from different angles, it is interesting that you both touched on the need for concierge services that can aid with the transition to new communities. As mentioned, this could be a huge opportunity for MSMEs which could act as the connecting link between digital expats and financial services, car rentals, accommodations, tourism and more. This is certainly a niche market that I have started to see evolve, however further expansion is needed to fill this gap. It is great to see Derek emphasize the importance of the family demographic which, as stated above, does have specific needs, interests and sometimes, apprehensions. From schools to camps to at home care, this is a major moment for MSMEs that cater to families. Additionally, this distinct grouping also speaks to the increasing importance of understanding the different demographics that make up "Stampers." Breaking down digital expats will help with understanding what each segment is seeking. Carla Gomez you touched on what some nomads are looking for in your statistic on pets! This particular insight really highlights the differences of long-term visitors- they want to ensure that their entire lives can be transitioned, including their animals. Zeroing in on these unique consumer trends will be essential to the MSME response to remote workers. 

Hi all! Some very interesting discussions here! I'm copying below an excerpt from our recent webinars on this topic: https://islandinnovation.co/become-top-remote-working-destination/

Remote workers present a rapidly developing economic opportunity for island and rural communities either in the form of diverse visitor revenue streams or welcoming the diaspora home. Below we list the decision-making process of remote workers when choosing their next home and how destinations can respond to ensure they attract this particular demographic.

Digital nomads are a particular category of remote worker and are not fixed to any particular location. There are a number of different types of remote worker including:

• Those that work from home or partially from the office.
• Workers who split their time between home and other destinations.
• Digital nomads who live where they work and change destination.
• Expats who work remotely but stay in one location permanently.
• Residents who return home and work remotely (for a foreign or local company).

There are several converging trends fuelling the growth of remote work. It’s important to note that there is mounting evidence to show that there are productivity gains to be made. Research by Stanford University has shown that remote workers are 13% more productive. Another study by Owl Labs revealed that remote workers themselves report 79% increased productivity without the distractions of the office.

You also learn more about Dominica's "Work in Nature" program here which we hosted a discussion on: https://islandinnovation.co/discover-dominica-work-in-nature/

Very interestin development, but can this be a long term option for the region? A lot of things will need to be discussed, within an among countries. Countries will need to agree on taxation policies, who collects the income tax from remote work? Discussions at the local level, what of locals becoming displaced, and communities being gentrified. These discussions are critical. 

Agreed on all fronts. As economies and societies like ours develop our tourism product, it is always necessary to be aware of the negative aspects tourism has not just on our environment, but also our communities. Long term tourism in the form of nomads is fairly new to the region and has not been studied, but careful analysis should be done even as we pilot this type of tourism. 

Very interesting conversation and topic! As a welcome stamper, I have to say many good points have already been shared which make me happy knowing that the next generation of Welcome Stampers will be so much better off if programs like this continue.

I arrived here with my girlfriend and two kids in October 2020, and what started as a getaway from the pandemic actually turned into a long-term commitment and we ended up buying a house three months into our visit. It has definitely been an interesting and eventful process and as pointed out above, integrating welcome stampers into the community is the key to the success of these programs. 

When it came time to do house hunting we found it to not be very "buyer friendly".  What I mean by "buyer friendly" is that there is no centralized database for all the listed homes for sale or rent in Barbados.  Every realtor had the same house listed and unless you reached out by email or phone it was hard to ascertain if the house was still on the market for sale or rent. I think that loosening the rules around being able to take your money out of Barbados if you wish from a sale of a property would spur on more investment. Why pick Barbados over another warm destination? my answer... Safety, Healthcare, People, Fast Internet, less chance of hurricanes than other parts of the Caribbean.

We also found that the internet not being the main source of information for local businesses was not something we were used to. One instance we went out for dinner to a restaurant that was showing open for business that day only to find it had burned down months ago. Being more adapted to digital expectations would go a long way to making a transition easier for a Welcome Stamper.

Programs helping people transition into working remotely more efficiently. Very few businesses including one of the biggest cell phone and internet providers refused to call my international cell phone number. In our case, for example, it was imperative to keep our business cell phones from Canada activated at all times, even though we had to pay huge roaming fees. Perhaps bridging and assisting employees and companies which might support remote working with issues like this, internet services etc.

Shipping anything is also a huge issue.  It doesn't matter how personal or important an item is that you are sending to Barbados, it will go through an incredible amount of delays and administration not to mention the costs. 

However, even with some small complications during our stay here, we really enjoy living here very much and continue to have a high opinion about the people and welcoming culture of Barbados.  The island is very safe and large enough to feel like youre not too isolated.  I have all the confidence in the momentum that I believe is in full swing here in Barbados.  I feel that politically Barbados is in good shape and that was a factor in my choice to purchase here.

For those who missed it these issues were the focus of the second UNDP Future Tourism Regional Dialogues with the high-level panel, we continued the series with the next dialogue “The new profile of visitors, a market-driven approach to accelerate recovery”. 

Watch the recorded panel event

Dialogue 2 focused on 2 main themes:

        Theme 1: Remote work programs: Six Eastern Caribbean countries have launched remote work programs since 2020. Why are remote work programs considered a more sustainable approach to development? What social and economic impact do they have in the short and long term? 

        Theme 2: New market trends are shifting consumer demand. International visitors are interested in staying longer (7 days pre-pandemic VS 11 days in January 2021), more inclined to travel with family, want authentic experiences, and are reluctant to travel to crowded destinations. Domestic and regional travelers – can their “staycation” and “workcation” also help MSMEs to survive in times of travel restrictions?

Hi everyone for those who were unable to attend I am pleased to share a Summary of Key Points from the Regional Dialogue II- The New Profile of Visitors

Moderator: Nikola Simpson

Panelists: 

Warren Solomon – Director of Tourism, Montserrat Tourism Division

Dr. Sylvia Dohnert – Executive Director of Compete Caribbean

Katrina Yearwood – Chief Immigration Officer, Antigua and Barbuda

Peter Thompson – Remote Work Barbados

Gabriella Stowell – Regional Director, Adventure Travel Trade Association

Ava Nasiri – SAP Engineer and Digital Nomad

As an introduction to this session Mr. Solomon stated that in order to rethink tourism in light of the pandemic, regional organisations had to come together to formulate a plan of action which would highlight the ways to best manage the pandemic. He furthers states that over the last fifteen months the habits and profiles of visitors have changed and it is important that countries within the region make the necessary transformations which would meet the requirements of the new traveller while implementing changes that would lead to the development of a more sustainable tourism industry. Destinations became accustomed to catering to the needs of the discerning travellers but in the wake of the pandemic, there is now the opportunity for destinations to become more discerning by placing themselves in a position where they decide what type of visitors that they want to attract while balancing socio-economic and environmental impact. Visitors are seeking experiences that would allow them to immerse themselves in local culture and in the communities that they visit and allow them to form emotional attachments. As such, the sector needs to pivot to make greater accommodations for this new type of traveller.

Similarly, Dr. Sylvia Dohnert shared a similar perspective. She believes that through the use of regional bubbles which maintain similar Covid-19 protocols and have good management of the pandemic, Caribbean countries can make destinations more attractive to visitors. She stated that before the pandemic, there was an increase in the rise of the “new world traveller” who were concerned about sustainability, communities, decent work and economic growth. In fact, she stated that a survey done by Compete Caribbean revealed 64% of travellers want to travel sustainably, 57%  of global consumers want to support small businesses when they travel and 51% want to stay in eco-friendly accommodations which also support the local community. The new profile of visitors want to engage in community tourism and are searching for those tourism products online. In order to engage those visitors, there must be a connection between community-based tourism and digital technologies.

Ms. Katrina Yearwood opened by thanking UNDP for this opportunity as it has come at a critical time, not only for Antigua and Barbuda but for the region. In Antigua and Barbuda, the government is relaunching the website for the Digital Nomad Residence Programme (NDR). The programme came about as Antigua, like many other islands, are is dependent on tourism and there was a need to become more creative, in order to find new ways of earning revenue. The digital nomad programme is based on having a meaningful relationship with nomads and remote workers. The relaunch of the website was critical as it made it easier for both nomads and remote workers to find information easily. This highlighted the use and importance of digital technologies which can be used to disseminate information and receive feedback. As the new profile of visitors also tends to embrace more digital technologies, this is a step in the right direction for the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Peter Thompson, is the CEO of Remote Work Barbados, and his focused was on the role of the private sector and MSMEs in tourism. He noted that the world has changed significantly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and it is likely that things will not return to how it was pre-Covid-19. While admitting that programmes such as the Barbados Welcome Stamp and other remote programmes are good, the aim should not be for Barbados to try to dominate that market, but rather to simply attract a fraction of the market and types of guests that the host country you wants to serve, i.e. creating a niche market to attract the type of guests you want. Mr. Thompson specified that there is a difference between remote workers, digital nomads and digital expats. He explained that digital nomads and remote workers tend to be younger and more willing to move from country to country easily. Digital expats, on the other hand, travel with families and are likely to stay in one place longer. He stressed that the fundamental value of these three groups was human resources. The willingness to give intellectual capital in order to make a difference in the county they reside in can transform the way in which business is done here within the region.

Gabrielle Stowell also believes that things cannot go back to the way they were before. She states that the a new trends is have been in an increase in the demand of adventure- based ecotourism. According to a survey done, 58% of consumers stated that they were thinking about the environment more since the pandemic. She stressed that culture and nature go hand in hand, and if the environment is destroyed, the tourism product is also destroyed. Throughout the pandemic, she states that there has been an increase in the need for digital technologies and digital transformations. However, there is still a fear that by incorporating digital solutions people more that there will be a reduction in the amount number of jobs available or that people will not want to visit destinations because these destinations can be viewed through virtual reality simulations. She states that while these concerns are legitimate, people have always been fond of and crave interpersonal engagement. Therefore, the tourism industry should not seek to replace that aspect with technology but instead, use technology to complement the existing systems.

Ava Nisiri believes that as digital nomad that there is a sense of awareness of the privilege it is to be a digital nomad in another country. As a result, there is a sense of responsibility to be respectful to the space and culture that exists. For Ava, what is interesting would be to see the ways in which countries are able to attract other digital nomads in the long term. She believes that in order to attract more guests there needs to be a sense of belonging in the host country. This then results in more economic contributions as visitors are willing to engage directly with more local MSMEs, for example farmers, instead of the big corporations and large entities. In addition, Ava believes that by creating a sense of belonging, there will be a greater sense of community. By building this sense of community, there would increase the amount of direction and support when arriving in the host country which is crucial when moving to some place new. In addition, the need to facilitate and create more co-working spaces where nomads can work and network is also very important. Ava also believes that digital nomads and remote workers want to contribute their skills to locals and programmes should be put in place to allow digital nomads to know where their skills are best suited. By creating this environment, Ava, believes that it will be easy to convert digital nomads to digital expats as persons are more likely to return to a place where they have an emotional connection.

Dear remote workers, Rob Griffiths, Eric TATTERSDALE, Derek Roth Gordon, Ben Fitzpatrick, we launched a short survey to get a better sense of your interests. Can you please answer the 14 questions and share with other stampers? If we get enough responses before the end of the month, we can include the results in the policy paper which will be shared with diverse relevant stakeholders.

Thank you!

Here is the link: 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Xtvls0QpN0iZ9XSIrOV…;

Certainly, I believe that the stamp for remote workers has been as a very resilient response by the destinations which has also fulfilled many of the needs from workers to work from anywhere due to the pandemic. However, although seeing the economic and development opportunities to many of the SIDS destinations with this new tourism segment, I am also not sure that can be a sustainable tourism strategy to manage digital tourism as a long term tourism strategy, basically starting with the concept of a worker getting established to be living in a country in a long-term basis as is probably not going to be seen as a tourist anymore but as a resident at least by the locals. I agree totally with Courtney Lindsay that this very new model to the SIDS needs deep thinking, researching, and further discussions since it will have social and economic impacts in the local communities and if not managed carefully, can be truly harmful and not helpful for the destinations to achieve the SDG.

At the moment trying to blend the remote workers in the communities with only a few families, do not seem to be an issue as much as the number of these remote workers are not high and interrupting suddenly in the host communities lives, however, we all know how quick the travel trends gets popular and highly promoted in the social media times so, in the Caribbean countries where mass tourism has always been present, this is a trend that can be very well accepted as something “original and different” and to potentially bring an increased interest of nomads or remote workers wanting to discover the destination in that original way.

Another point raised here is the possibility of rent prices raising not having a real impact on the local citizens, however, we all know how the supply and demand theory has been working in mass tourism destinations, hence where a segment is ready to pay higher month/value for accommodation it will increase the supply for this segment and will reduce it for the local citizens, also bringing to light the socio-economic differences between local citizens and the remote workers, which has long term social and cultural consequences in the host communities.

I truly believe that in very dependent nations to tourism such as the SIDS, which have been affected very hard by the interruption of the tourism industry is mandatory now more than never, to planning new tourism strategies very carefully and in consultation with the local communities to avoid more dependency and negative impacts of the tourism industry in the destinations, especially if resilience is at the policy heart, avoiding dependency is key to success.

Submission by Alicia Nicholls - Trade and Development Consultant

The 'digital nomad' visas are a great opportunity, but we need to do more besides monitoring the number of applications and the number of successful applications etc...Governments need to find a way to measure the economic and non-economic impacts. So for instance, we know that persons who come on these visas contribute to host economies not just through the fees that they pay but spill-over effects, such as rental/purchase of real estate, other purchases of goods and services, enrolment of children into schools = tuition fees, etc...They also contribute in philanthropic ways as well. How is this all being measured? We also need to find a way to turn what is a short-term programme into long-term gains. What programmes are being put in place to continue engagement with these persons while on island or when they return to their home countries after their visa period expires? These persons can become return visitors and potential investors, especially at a time when our economies desperately need to increase private capital inflows. 

Submission by Mr. Corey Garrett, Director of the Caribbean and Latin America, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Ms. Harriette Smith and team 

Rethinking Tourism in times of COVID-19 in the Eastern Caribbean

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, required quarantine and in some instances, periods of isolation if a visitor tests positive for the virus- longer stays, including programmes such as digital nomads make sense. As the pandemic drags on and more and more persons opt to work from home, reliable internet connectivity and improvements in video conferencing platforms have made it easier for workers to “telecommute” from anywhere in the world.  

In 2015, the founder of the Nomad List predicted that by 2035 there would be 1 billion digital nomads.  With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as reported in an excerpt from their 2020 State of Independence in America Report entitled “Covid-19 and the Rise of the Digital Nomad”, MBO partners noted that persons in the USA for example, who consider themselves as digital nomads rose by approximately 49%.  This trend is likely to continue and spread to other countries.        

The implementation of digital nomad programmes has undoubtedly helped to soften the impact of the dramatic fall-off in arrivals that the pandemic inflicted on tourism-dependent islands. Going forward, the benefits can only out-weight any perceived disadvantages. With digital nomads staying longer, overall tourism receipts could see higher yields accruing to the host islands. For example, instead of a 4 or 7-night stay for a regular leisure traveller, long-stay visitors sometimes opt for holidays of about 2 to 3 months and 12 months in some instances for digital nomads. Realtors (rentals and purchasing of properties), hotels, restaurants, tour companies, car rentals, supermarkets, local stores to name a few, and by extension, the host community will all be beneficiaries. 

Digital nomads will continue to play an important role in tourism in the Eastern Caribbean. As such, it is incumbent on regional governments/tourism agencies to put measures in place to ease the integration of digital nomads into their respective societies.  Actions as simple as making it easier for a digital nomad to open a local bank account and/or setting up skills repositories so they can share their knowledge with locals in similar fields or youth interested in the particular discipline. These interactions not only create networking opportunities but also engender friendships, with the digital nomad becoming an advocate  for his or her host country. This now creates a hybrid destination exposition model- Destination exposition speaks to those positive spin-off benefits which ensue when a community plays a part in ensuring that the destination becomes popular within and outside the local community.