The Mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced this week that the city created a plan to bring more digital nomads into its boundaries. The goal of making the city more inviting to tech-oriented people who love to travel aims to boost both tourism and income.
According to the mayor, the city will work with UNESCO and AirBnB on the project. The project aims to recruit both creative and technologically savvy guests who plan to stay longer than the average tourist.
The Secretary of Tourism of Mexico City stated that digital nomads do not travel for work. Rather, they choose from where to work on a remote basis.
Digital nomads increased in number during the COVID-19 pandemic’s early days out of necessity, and the high numbers persist even though health experts consider the disease endemic in most areas.
About 30 million digital nomads exist around the world, and half of them are Americans. Mexico’s proximity to the United States makes it an ideal destination for American digital nomads.
The economic activity of the 30 million digital nomads amounts to an estimated $1.4 billion per year for 2022, and that number will grow in the next 10 years. Digital nomads support about 9.3% of Mexico City’s economy.
The biggest challenge for Mexican authorities relates to tax collection. Their plan takes into consideration how to tax income earned by digital nomads while living in the country.
Winter remains the most popular time of the year to visit Mexico City. Tourism peaks in late March.