Évora wants to attract digital nomads to the Alentejo

"The goal is to attract digital nomads to various sites in the Alentejo" and create in the region "what already exists in Madeira".

Photo by Rui Ribeiro on Unsplash

Editorial Team

21 February 2022, 18:08

The Alentejo Science and Technology Park (PACT), based in Évora, wants to attract digital nomads to the region, betting on the "fantastic conditions" of the area and the opportunities created by the Covid-19 pandemic. "We are launching a strategy to attract digital nomads to the Alentejo". That is, people from all over the world who work remotely, Soumodip Sarkar, executive president of PACT, told Lusa news agency.

According to the person in charge, the Alentejo region "has fantastic conditions to welcome" these people, in terms of telecommuting. "PACT wants to lead this process, but not for the park itself. The goal is to attract these digital nomads to various places in the Alentejo, involving the councils and other entities," he added.

Admitting that the strategy is still in its early stages, Soumodip Sarkar remarked that the work may involve the creation of reception infrastructures, for example with the adaptation of buildings where these workers may live and work in an open space.

Sarkar said he was considering funding from Portugal 2030 or through a possible application for European funds from the Regional System of Technology Transfer (SRTT), led by PACT, but involving the University of Évora, three polytechnics, research centres and technology hotbeds, among others.

Following the example of Madeira

"I want to mobilise the SRTT around this idea", to create in the Alentejo "what already exists in Madeira", he emphasised.

In Madeira, which has already attracted many remote workers, the Digital Nomads project is underway, which has begun to be promoted by the archipelago's Regional Secretariat for the Economy and Startup Madeira, also including hotels, other companies from various areas or international platforms.

"The presence of an ecosystem of digital nomads is enriching for the regions where they settle", not only because there is a mobilisation of regional and national economies, but also because it promotes contact between different cultures", argued Soumodip Sarkar.

Portugal on the digital nomad route

In a statement, PACT said the session marks the start of the programme to attract digital nomads to the region, to take advantage of the opportunities created by the Covid-19 pandemic for the emergence of these communities.

"There are several studies that have indicated that Portugal is currently one of the most attractive countries for digital nomads and telecommuting," highlighted the Alentejo Science and Technology Park.