Croatia was one of the countries in 2021 to launch a dedicated "digital nomad" visa. Photo / Unsplash
The Government wants to see tourism numbers increase as part of its economic growth push.
As part of that push, one of the Government’s first announcements for 2025 was relaxing visitor requirements and rolling out the welcome mat to “digital nomads”.
It will mean tourists from visa-waiver countries have up to nine months to travel while still working for their overseas employer, without breaching their visitor visa conditions.
New Zealand now joins at least 66 countries that offer a similar visa.
The scheme hasn’t been without controversy overseas though, with commentators pointing to possibilities of “overtourism” - an influx of nomads contributing to gentrification, driving up prices, and making cities or towns unlivable for their original residents.
The debate remains whether these nomads are clogging destinations, or reviving them.
Experiences overseas vary from negative to positive.
Online commentary speaks of how digital nomads have “breathed new life” into the town of Oliete in eastern Spain, a once-described ghost town. Others have quipped on Barcelona’s “digital nomad nightmare”. Bars and cafes complain about “laptop squatters” sucking up in-store Wi-Fi.
Writer Marta Bausells grew up and lives in Barcelona and told The Front Page there are entire apartment blocks where locals once lived, now converted to accommodate short-term renters.
“The biggest impact has been on housing because it’s not a big city. It doesn’t have time to grow and it was already one of the densest in Europe. Rents have increased by 60% in a decade and salaries have not increased.
“The salaries that digital nomads tend to have are very high and they tend to pay twice, three times what an already expensive rent was three years ago.
“There’s a huge protest going on right now around an eviction that is planned. An investment fund bought an entire building and little by little when people’s rents expired, they evicted them. They’re just going to make a lot of money from renting these flats for five times the price,” she said.
It’s not just higher rent and a lack of housing that Barcelona is facing, but the loss of culture. Corner stores that made a neighbourhood unique have closed and been turned into generic coffee shops, yoga studios, or shared workspaces, Bausells said. Signs are written in English.
“There’s a strong sense from locals that they are sort of background extras to somebody else’s adventure or life. This is how I would say many of us often feel,” she said.
Tourism New Zealand figures show tourist arrivals from all countries remain at 86.3% of pre-Covid levels.
Hotel Council Aotearoa strategic director, James Doolan, told The Front Page he wants to see that number reach 130%.
“Frankly speaking, New Zealand probably hasn’t done enough to lay out the welcome mat and hustle hard to get tourists back here after we closed our borders,” he said.
The move to nearly triple the International Visitor Levy made international headlines last year – with the country’s independent tourism body saying the higher fee is a “barrier to visitors”. Before October, visitors paid $35. Now they pay $100.
“It’s not out of line with some other countries. But, how do we use that money to attract more international tourists back to New Zealand quickly so we can fill up our bars, restaurants, retailers, and shops?
“A tourist to New Zealand is not just a backpacker or someone hiking through our national parks. If you have 3000 Chinese Amway executives in Auckland CBD, those 3000 people are tourists as well,” he said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how digital nomads have changed Barcelona - and what can be done to entice tourists back to Aotearoa.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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