Narayan AmmachchiMontserrat, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean of barely 5,000 people, has begun attracting digital nomads in an attempt to revive its economy.
While Covid-19 infected barely 200 of its citizens, and the island recorded only two deaths, it did deal deal a devastating blow to its tourism-dependent economy.
Montserrat launched its first attempt to attract foreign remote workers in April 2021 with a program called “Montserrat remote workers stamp”.
However, the first attempt failed because the program required visitors to stay for at least two months on the island.
In January this year, it tweaked the rules of the program, allowing visitors to stay for a year, or a week, as they prefer.
The Covid-19 pandemic turned out to be such a drag on its economy that tourist arrivals were reduced by a staggering 80%.
As the scenic island measures approximately 10 miles in length and 7 miles in width, there are not many flights. However, people can fly to its neighboring countries, such as Antigua and Barbados, and take a boat to Montserrat.
Nearly half of its citizens fled to the UK in 1997 when a volcano covered a large part of the island in ash and soot.
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