Although teleworking has fallen compared to recent years, there are still millions of workers around the world who have not returned to the office, but many of them do not even stay at home, but thanks to the freedom they This modality gives them travel around the world changing countries while they are working, these are called digital nomads.
This new concept of worker, “makes the world his office”, and at first the governments saw an opportunity in this modality, since in this way Tourists continued to come all year round and not just in the summer. In fact, in Spain, within the Startup Law presented in 2022, new regulations were included to facilitate visas for these digital nomads.
In turn, Mexico did the same, taking advantage of its strong pull to receive tourists during vacations and hot seasons, and opened the country to all teleworkers who wanted stay for a while to work from there.
However, it seems that they are now regretting this, since last week in Congress a new measure was proposed that these digital nomads will surely not like. This proposal promoted by deputy Frida Guillem proposes require the payment of a daily rate to all teleworking tourists who spend more than 20 nights of accommodation in the country.
I would be such as the tourist tax that is applied in some of the most touristic cities in Europe, so they would be those who provide the accommodation (hotels, AirBNB, hostels…) who would charge an amount that has not yet been determined.
Why did this happen?
This proposal was born as a way to compensate for the negative side that digital nomads bring, the uncontrollable increase in rental prices, gentrification and the rise of the conversion of apartments for tourist rentals. All of this is making locals cannot afford to live in the cities where they are frombecause everything is prepared to attract tourists.
“Its arrival clearly represents an important economic benefit, but we must also consider that its high purchasing power It raises the costs of things as basic as housing or food for us Mexicans.“Guillen explained during his speech.
According to data, Rent in Mexican cities has increased by 13.63% in the last year. Without a doubt this is a problem that affects everyone, for example, rents are rising in all districts of Madrid and Barcelona or in New York there have been forbidden stays of less than a month in duration on AirBNB.
It is also true that the measures taken by the Spanish Government regarding digital nomads is to promote its arrival in rural and unpopulated areas, an aspect that, given what has been seen, they should promote more to prevent (if it is not too late now) the same thing from happening.
