Phuket, a province of Thailand, is considering a new digital nomad visa. If the local government succeeds in its push to create such a visa, it will join many other regions and nations.
Digital nomad visas, which make it easier for remote employees with jobs they can do from anywhere, have gained popularity in recent months.
Remote workers are attractive to governments looking to improve local economies. They spend money in the areas they visit without adding competition to a region’s workforce.
Rawat Areerob, the President of Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization, submitted the visa request to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as well as the Foreign Affairs Minister.
If it goes through, the visa program will allow eligible workers to stay in the province for up to a year. It would also let them open bank accounts and purchase health insurance.
Thailand’s economy depends largely upon its tourism industry, and the pandemic ground that to a halt. Areerob hopes that a digital nomad visa will help kick tourism back into gear.
Though working from home — or from other countries — was relatively rare before the pandemic, it’s now commonplace. Many who were forced to work remotely because of COVID-19 discovered that doing their jobs from home improves work-life balance and productivity.