Europe looks to attract digital nomads to revitalise villages

The so-called nomad movement was already under way before the virus closed down cities and workplaces, forcing people to work from home.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has closed some traditional doors, but ironically the forced isolation could actually bring renewed life to depopulated villages in Europe. Growing market acceptance of remote working has led several European nations to offer digital nomad visas and even cash incentives to foreigners who are willing to settle.

The so-called nomad movement was already under way before the virus closed down cities and workplaces, forcing people to work from home. Before mostly freelancers, the remote workforce went mainstream in 2020 as the fully employed joined its ranks. While many have returned to the office, many have not, a significant number who have declined to return to the in-person workplace and have set out on a new course.

It’s one of those counter-intuitive twists of fate that one occasionally encounters: quarantine might eventually lead to greater freedom than we had before.

The stereotypical pre-pandemic digital nomad was young, adventurous and of course digitally savvy — but in terms of economic desirability was probably just a step up from the budget backpacker.

But with highly paid employees from Google, Facebook and many others set free to live wherever they want so long as there’s a fast, reliable Internet connection, digital nomads have taken on a more burnished image. Though the terms can get blurred, some are actually entrepreneurs who have the potential to create jobs and tax revenues in a foreign country.

Initiatives in Europe range from villages whose goals are remote freelancers with a modest income level to entire countries that want the digitally brilliant who can boost employment and the economy.

Some of the villages are breathtaking due to their incredible scenery, history and time-honoured culture. They can also be remarkable for demonstrating something profound in the human spirit — the determination to stay alive even after decades of sharp decline. Following WWII many of Europe’s remote towns were depopulated as people left in search of city jobs during the recovery and subsequent economic boom. Some hamlets have become true ghost towns.

The bewildering list of ancient settlements now courting digital nomads includes villages in Spain and Italy that would each be a strong tourist draw if set in another country. They are not Disneyesque — they are the real deal that inspired people such as Walt Disney.

Imbued with that history and beauty, mayors and local citizens are determined to save their hometowns by becoming innovators themselves as they unveil incentive packages that include 1-euro homes, relocation money, tax breaks and fast Internet.

And Italy now has added firepower — some 1 billion euros from EU Covid-19 recovery funds earmarked for bringing fast Internet and other improvements to villages seemingly lost in time, mostly in the south of the country, which Culture Minister Dario Franceschini calls “the embodiment of Italy’s identity”.

Ultra-fast Internet and other improvements in the hamlets are intended to attract the growing number of Italians and foreigners looking to relocate from cities to the countryside.

“The emergency has upset the social and working habits of Italians who have returned to looking at the countryside not only as a destination for trips out of town but as a lifestyle choice to enjoy larger living spaces with a greater feeling of safety and wellbeing,” said a report by agricultural organisation Coldiretti, which noted that previously just 76 per cent of families in the Italian countryside had Internet access.

In Spain, dozens of small villages are offering digital nomads cash payments and other incentives to relocate. The National Network of Welcoming Villages, which has around 30 members, is trying to lure foreign remote workers by providing co-working spaces, high-speed Internet and up to $3,500 in moving expenses.