Namibia has become the latest of four African countries to offer digital nomad visas to remote workers.
latest of four African countries to offer digital nomad visas to remote workers. Mauritius, Cape Verde and the Seychelles also all have visa programmes targeting digital nomads, yet South Africa still lags behind.
Several factors have helped drive demand for digital nomads. In particular, travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic dealt a big economic blow to countries reliant on tourism. After the pandemic, however, travel volumes did not rebound as expected. Digital nomad visas are seen by some governments as a means of reigniting travel inflows.
In the post-Covid era, tourism has contributed between 3% and 4% to South Africa’s GDP each year, a sharp decline from the 6.4% contribution made by the sector in 2019.Considering the country’s attractiveness as a tourist destination, having a digital nomad visa programme could attract a higher number of visitors for longer stays.
He said an estimated 40% of the 120 000-strong software developer workforce in South Africa work remotely for foreign companies. As such, the availability of digital nomad visas in neighbouring countries could threaten an exodus of skills. “Safety and security is a big issue. Not many South Africans qualify for an international passport but this is giving many the opportunity to leave. And although they’ll keep working for South African companies, they’ll be socialising in and contributing to a different environment,” said Firth. “Because they are socialising in different circles, their next job may not be from a South African firm, and the country would lose them completely.
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