Countries like Bermuda and Estonia have launched incentives in attempt to woo digital nomads to live, remote work and play locally — and to boost the economy. Portugal is the next country to come up with an enticing plan, and today, introduced a “digital nomad” village for remote work in the quiet island of Madeira.
Digital Nomads Village is situated in Ponta do Sol on Madeira’s south coast, which harbors terrific views of the Atlantic and is a short drive from the capital, Funchal.
The concept of the entire village is to offer a live, remote work, and play community for workers who no longer need to be located in their home country. Digital Nomads Village opens today, February 1, for its pilot program, and will run to June 30th.
Digital nomads will be offered a “free working space with a desk and chair, access to a Slack community and free internet use,” according to the website, as well as a “team” as a resource. The team will facilitate access to the local community and host events, according to the website.
On the Digital Nomads Village website, only 4 central “house” accommodations and 1 hotel recommendation are currently offered, including one house that house ocean views. While current offerings of the village are slim, digital nomads will be immersed in Portuguese culture and island life.
Residents who want to participate in the Madeira remote work digital village much commit to staying at least one month.
For the Madeira remote work opportunity, the Digital Nomads Village concept is launched in partnership with the Government of Madeira, StartUp Madeira and digital nomad Gonçalo Hall.
Ponta do Sol is considered a cultural hub on the archipelago, due to the investment in art and culture. The area has beautiful beaches and great local restaurants and bars, including locations on the beach. There area also scenic hikes.
When working hours are over, nomads can spend time exploring the 3000 km of levadas (ancient irrigation channels) which make for perfect walking tracks, sampling exotic delicacies, swimming in natural lava pools, off-roading on near vertical tracks or spotting dolphins and whales, which swim close to the shore.
There is also surfing, mountain biking, canyoning and trail running for more active digital nomads, as well as a 9 km sandy beach on the nearby island of Porto Santo, referred to as ‘Little Paradise’.
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Jimmy Im has traveled to 113 countries, stayed in over 600 hotels and has flown a million airmiles. He lives in New York City.
Thanks Alex!
Great post. Madeira is a beautiful island. Portugal seems to be a really attractive country for digital nomads at the moment. Rightly so, as it’s a lovely country. Maybe a helpful resource for some, Imovirtual publish a monthly barometer report where they mention the average rent price advertised in each municipality in Portugal. https://www.imovirtual.com/en/noticias/imoblog/real-estate-market-in-numbers-monthly-barometer-of-march