Goa: From Famous Beach Destination To Aspiring 'Workation' Spot
Digital nomads and travel enthusiasts have good news. Goa, the much-loved beach destination in India is planning to advance their space as a “workation” spot also. By improving the electronics and accommodation infrastructure, the government in Goa is attempting to attract more digital and technology investment to the place.
Regarding the plan, Minister of Tourism and IT, Rohan Khaunte told ET that co-working shacks also known as “sea hubs” will be raised along the beach in this quarter. “They can go and surf in the water, they can go to the shack and have some good Goan food, and then go and work at a workstation,” he said, quotes ET.
Since high-speed internet connectivity even in rural areas is pivotal for the plan, the state government is actively working in this regard. Minister said that they are focusing on total internet connectivity in Goa within two years. They are conversing with the Centre for BharatNet 3.0 to accelerate their plan.
Furthermore, Mr Kaunte said that the Goa government is engaged with online travel platform, MakeMyTrip to initiate digitally accessible homestay circuits. Earlier, they signed an agreement with AirBnB.
The state is also pushing for “digital nomad” visa category, and in the way of proceeding with presentation to the home ministry and external affairs ministry to take this plan forward. With the “digital nomad” visa, visitors can stay in the specific country for a year and can work on remote basis for their foreign-based employer or business. Digital nomad visas are offered by several countries including Norway, Germany, Thailand, Portugal, Malaysia, and Iceland. The state hopes that people from these countries stay and work from Goa”s beaches and from their homestays. Mr Khaunte believe that their stay will contribute spending 30-35% of their huge salary to this place, resulting the growth of local economy.
According to an official, a new policy is also underway to instigate tax incentives for electronic manufacturing, ET reports.
