- Barbados offering foreigners the opportunity to work from the island remotely up to 12 months as part of plans to jump start their tourism sector.
- One of their selling points is the comfort of a more relaxed lifestyle in a country that has managed to control the spread of COVID-19.
- Details about incentives are still limited, but those interested in the idea all expressed concerns about internet speeds.
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Tired being cooped up at home or bored of the same city office view? Ever wanted to work with a view of the beach? Or maybe you just want to escape the pandemic chaos in larger cities?
Alright, enough with the marketing up-sell, but Barbados is now offering the opportunity for foreigners to work remotely from the Caribbean island for up to a year thanks to their new 12-month “Barbados Welcome Stamp”.
With 40% of Barbados’s GDP and 30% of the island’s workforce dependent on tourism, their government is looking at new ways to cope with the sudden decline in incoming traffic, and is now encouraging people from other nations to consider long-term remote-work stays as a way to escape the every day monotony (and COVID chaos in some cases).
The concept was announced by Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley at the official reopening of Primo Bar and Bistro in St. Lawrence Gap, Christ Church.
“You don’t need to work in Europe, or the US or Latin America if you can come here and work for a couple months at a time; go back and come back. But in order for those things to truly resonate, what does it mean? It means that what we offer has to be world-class and what we continue to offer is world-class.
“The Government is committed to working with you on the promotion of new concepts like the 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp, being able to open our borders to persons travelling and making it as hospitable as ever for all of us, and making it available for Barbadians from every walk of life to believe that for special occasions, or just for so, that they can come out and be a part of this wonderful exercise,” said PM Mottley.
The idea which is still in the works, appeals more to those who have the flexibility of working out of different countries, and don’t mind working away from their home or workplace for a few weeks, all the way up to one year. Details at this time are still limited, but while many people seem interested in the idea, the main concern was internet speeds.
I would kill for a view of the beach while I worked, but doing so with a substandard connection would simply defeat the purpose. However, internet speeds across the Caribbean have improved significantly as more carriers enter the market. Many households now have access to either DSL, cable or fiber to the home connections. In Barbados’ case, the average internet download/upload speed was 80 Mbps/56 Mbps (according to a June 2020 average by Speedtest), with companies offering much higher speed options.
Details surrounding other incentives to work out of Barbados (other than a more relaxed lifestyle and beautiful views) are still in the workst, but guests who are considering the idea of an extended stay for work are advised to get a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result 72 hours before their flight. The island has managed to control the spread of the virus, recording only 98 total cases and 7 deaths. At the moment, 90 have recovered, leaving just 1 patient in hospital recovery.
[Featured Photo: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay]
