Welcome to tourists: picturesque country offers ideal conditions for digital nomads

If you've ever dreamed of working while admiring a picturesque fjord, or turning off your computer after work and going for a hike in the mountains, one beautiful country is ready to offer you the perfect conditions for this. The New Zealand Tourist Board is striving to make the country more open to the world.

According to the Express, new rules are coming into force in the country that will ease visa restrictions. New Zealand should become more open not only to tourists but also to digital nomads.

From now on, those who work remotely for a foreign employer will be allowed to live in the country on a long-term visitor visa. The period of stay will be up to 9 months.

Unlike similar schemes in Greece and Indonesia, newcomers will not need to fill out a lot of additional documents. They will be able to use their regular visa to work remotely during the trip.

New Zealand has not yet been able to recover from the restrictions imposed worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country's economy entered a recession last year, and the number of foreign tourists was only 86% of what it was in 2019.

Therefore, the government has expressed interest in attracting as many foreign workers and vacationers as possible. Officials also hope to increase the popularity of the famous island in the world.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said at a press conference that the new trend of "digital nomads," where more and more people work remotely and move freely around the world, is a market that New Zealand can tap into. "We want people to see our country as an ideal place to visit and work," she said. New visa rules should help with this.

According to Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, the New Zealand government expects the changes to encourage workers and the companies they represent to consider doing more business with the country in the future.

The island nation regularly wins competitions for the title of the most beautiful country in the world. In particular, according to last year's Rough Guides survey, this title went to New Zealand for the diversity of landscapes, which includes sandy beaches and mountain ranges. Movie lovers also regularly visit the country to see with their own eyes where the famous movie saga "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed.

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