I've lived in Los Angeles for five years, so I'm about 30 minutes inland from Santa Monica. It's a beautiful, classic Southern California destination with a beach, a pier, and an abundance of classy shopping and dining spots.
17.06.2024 - 16:03 / skift.com / Peden Doma Bhutia / Rohan Khaunte
Think of Goa and what comes to mind? Beaches, nightlife, and parties. Goa’s Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte welcomes this image, but he wants travelers to see beyond it.
The smallest state in India aims to be ahead of the curve (at least for India) in attracting remote workers.
More than 50 countries now offer digital nomad visas, with South Korea, Japan, and Thailand the latest in Asia to cater to this growing segment.
In an exclusive interview with Skift, Khaunte shared Goa’s thinking: “Digital nomads represent a high-spending segment that significantly boosts the local economy. We already host over 10,000 digital nomads from within India, and we aim to increase this number by creating the ideal environment for remote work,” Khaunte said.
He said digital nomads spend about 35% of their income in the destination making them a valuable addition to the state’s economy. “We must not miss the bus on this,” he said.
According to a KPMG report, approximately 35% of the state’s population is involved in direct jobs in the tourism sector.
To draw in digital nomads, Goa plans to roll out high-speed internet across its rural areas and create coworking spaces along its iconic beaches. “By next year, we should have the infrastructure in place with beachside co-working spaces and high-speed internet to attract digital nomads and freelancers who don’t follow a typical 9-5 schedule,” Khaunte explained.
Goa’s IT Department rolls out the Red Carpet to the concepts of Workation, Co-Working Spaces & Digital Nomads. Our World Famous Beaches will now promote Creative Work Spaces along with the Sun, Sand & Surf.#WorkationGoa #InvestGoa2022 pic.twitter.com/Q2kr4Yq5ty
Goa aims for 100% internet connectivity, making even the most remote villages accessible to digital nomads and enhancing the appeal of its homestay programs. Reliable internet in rural areas could encourage tourists to explore Goa’s hinterlands.
These initiatives are part of a broader effort to promote Goa as a versatile and immersive destination for long-term stays.
With over 900 million internet users, India is the second largest online market in the world, behind China. Despite the large number and a consistent increase in accessibility, internet penetration in the country is just under 50%, which is below the worldwide average. As of April 2024, India was also the country with the largest offline population worldwide – around 643 million people without internet connection.
Promoting Goa as a digital nomad haven also means showcasing India, according to the tourism minister. “Digital nomads typically don’t stay in one place for more than three months, so they’re likely to explore multiple destinations within the country. This broader movement within India
I've lived in Los Angeles for five years, so I'm about 30 minutes inland from Santa Monica. It's a beautiful, classic Southern California destination with a beach, a pier, and an abundance of classy shopping and dining spots.
India is emerging as an important source market for tourism for Middle Eastern nations.
The Indiana Sports Corp. announced a new partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that will bring the latter’s three biggest events—Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania—to Indianapolis over the coming years.
Long known as the party destination in India, Goa now feels the need to move beyond its image of beaches, nightlife and parties and is looking to present itself as an ideal destination for remote workers.
While I am, admittedly, biased as a lover of the city, the best time to visit Lisbon is really any time. The Portuguese capital is a hybrid of activity at all times, with warm temperatures outside even in the winter months, and a seemingly endless list of great hotels and restaurants to visit no matter what month you arrive. Plus, Portuguese warmth and hospitality is a year-round thing, so you can expect a sunny welcome whether it’s July or January.
Oyo has announced the launch of its first luxury hotel, the Palette Royal Reflections Hotel and Spa, in Dubai. The opening marks a significant step in Oyo’s strategy to expand its premium offerings, driven by the increasing demand from Indian tourists for high-end accommodations in the region.
On my second day as a guest at the Henderson Beach Resort, I was scheduled to go to a morning yoga class. But I wasn't feeling it. Somewhat guiltily, I slipped into a pair of sandals and crossed an empty road to the nearby beach.
Taiwan has announced that it is “actively considering” extending visa-on-arrival for Indian travelers, deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang said this week.
It just got easier to visit «The Big Easy» from the West Coast.Alaska Airlines recently announced new direct service connecting their popular Portland, Oregon hub to a new destination, New Orleans, Louisiana. Travelers seeking this route on Alaska currently have to connect through Seattle, and the flight can take as long as nine hours. The new, direct flight will only take four hours and 25 minutes.
Thailand is inviting remote workers and digital nomads to not only visit, but to stay a while with its new extended visa program.
India’s National Stock Exchange has launched the Nifty India Tourism Index to capture the performance of travel and tourism companies within the Nifty 500 Index. The index is used by investors to manage their investment portfolios and serve as a benchmark for different purposes, including tracking expected returns of certain segments.
Brooklyn-born and Tahiti-raised Deborah Szekely is often referred to as the “Godmother of the Spa”—and at 102, she is a living legend in wellness travel. It all started back in the 1940s, when she headed to Tecate, Mexico with her husband, and discovered a small, temporary hut nestled in the mountains of Baja California. The two transformed the site into what is now Rancho La Puerta, a renowned fitness and wellness resort on the southern border of San Diego, California.