Tuesday, 29 October 2024
“Imagine digital nomads coming to our small places during the low season, staying over months and becoming part of our local communities. Not just as visitors, but as people who share their skills and participate in our local projects” These were some of Deputy County Mayor Anne Marie Fiksdal's remarks during the opening of the second exchange of experience in the Interreg Europe funded project EDIN- European Digital Nomads.
For three days, from 22 to 24 October 2024 hosted by Møre og Romsdal fylkeskommune in midst the beautiful UNESCO world heritage fjord in Geiranger, regional stakeholders and international partners collaborated to consider how to attract digital nomads, how to engage with them and help them immerse in local communities.
Partners discussed the value that digital nomads can offer rural and regional destinations and what those destinations might offer digital nomads. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the various types of digital nomads, what they are seeking in European regions and how those regions might offer unique and attractive experiences. A meeting of the project ‘Steering Committee’ and the stakeholders ‘Group of Experts’ also took place during this productive study visit to Norway.
Several interactive workshop activities were held and were built on stories and inputs from several regional stakeholders, among them Sindre Mjelva from Hotel Union Geiranger, Line Horvli from Nordveggen AS, Katrin Blomvik Bakken from Stiftinga Geiranger Fjorden Verdsarv and Lise G. Haukeberg from Sykkylven Kommune.
Olav Fransson Drangeid, International Adviser suggested that “we need to match our regions' needs with the right sub-type of nomad. To manage this we need to decide what we need from them, map the different types, what type of values they create, and how to attract them. A roadmap or method for creating digital nomad marketing plans, perhaps?”.
Partners agreed that social and community-based activities will be an important part of what nomads provide when visiting: Voluntary engagement, participation in communities, skills sharing, cultivation of nature and culture, and more. Partners concluded that they need access to their networks and online groups and get familiar with how they communicate and find their destinations and that a network registry would be a good first step.
The EDIN project partners intend on building upon what they have. Connecting the effort with the commercial tourist actors, build on what the region does well, and projects with clear potential for synergy. Møre og Romsdal along with the other partner regions have many interesting coworking locations, which they will be promoting as part of this project to attract digital nomads. The next study visit of the EDIN project partners will be to the region of Italy in March 2025 hosted by the Region of Toscana.
Follow us in this adventure! https://www.interregeurope.eu/edin and on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/edin-european-digital-nomads/
