Earlier this week, Greece launched a new initiative to attract digital nomads by partnering with internet providers to offer new and better services for people who choose the country as a base for remote working.
Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Tuesday that private companies will provide better internet connection packages.
The Tourism Ministry will initially partner with Greek telecom company Wind to make this a reality. The cooperation will see the company offer attractive internet packages to digital nomads to facilitate their stay as they work from Greece. The Ministry intends to collaborate with other telecom companies at a later stage.
Low internet speed in Greece is a problem for digital nomads
Greece is the perfect country for the post-pandemic, self-disciplined digital nomad. Blessed with a temperate climate, a high standard of living, mouth-watering food, affordability, and a laidback attitude, Greece could become a top destination for digital nomads.
In March 2021, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined a multi-billion-euro plan dubbed “Greece 2.0,” including investments in 5G networks, which Greece began rolling out in December to reinforce its attractiveness to those who can work remotely.
Yet, low internet speeds are one of the reasons that Greece has yet to attract as many digital nomads as it had hoped to do. A recent study by the European Data Journalism Network ranked Greece at the bottom in Europe in terms of average internet speed.
With an average download speed of just 29 Mbps, Greece is in last place regarding digital access throughout the EU.
As the country tries to attract more digital nomads and prides itself on being an attractive foreign investment location, the findings are a reminder that Greece is still far back in the digital transformation of the economy.
Fast internet and backup systems
Greece hopes that the new public-private initiative will rectify the problem of internet speed, which is is essential for digital nomads.
Kikilias announced that the new program will start at a pilot level in Ermoupolis, Heraklion and Kalamata and it will soon be extended to all of Greece.
“The visitors who spent the winter on our islands or in other destinations and worked remotely through their computer were many, and this is a global trend. Digital nomads support off-season tourism,” the Greek minister said.
Wind’s corporate communication executive director George Tsaprounis said that the company will provide a very fast internet connection in those areas and will introduce special packages for digital nomads that will include backup systems.
“For example, if you have a stable connection with 100Mbps or 200Mbps, mobile internet will also be included in case there is a problem, and this way you can carry on working,” he said, according to Greek Travel Pages (GTP).
Related: Best Cities for Digital Nomads in Greece
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