Digital nomads are people who use telecommunication technologies to make a living and live a nomadic life. These individuals operate from foreign countries, coffee shops, libraries, and even recreational vehicles.

After border restrictions were lifted, this way of working became more and more attractive to young people around the world, and many countries "opened their doors" to them.

As US tourism website Travel Off Path writes, last year several European countries began issuing digital nomad visas, which allow Americans to stay on the continent for longer than the usual 90 days as tourists. Believe it or not, the "Pearl of the Balkans" Macedonia is one of the most desired destinations for digital nomads.

"Travel Off Path" describes us as a small nation in the heart of the Balkans, the same peninsula that already offers several tourist hotspots such as Croatia, Montenegro and Greece. Unfortunately, Macedonia is the third least visited country in Europe, behind Liechtenstein and Moldova.

Why is Macedonia ignored by tourists?

It is certainly not due to the lack of monumental landmarks. But the fact that the country is landlocked and has limited flight options is a possible explanation, Travel Off Path writes.

But now the country's potential is finally coming to the surface. At the beginning of the covid-crisis, when all the countries in Europe banned the access of Americans by taking draconian measures to stop tourism, Macedonia was one of the few that remained accessible to foreigners.

Even before the introduction of vaccines, Macedonia welcomed nomads without restrictions. Along with other Balkan partners outside Brussels' sphere of influence, it was long their only gateway to Europe at a time when Portugal, France, Italy and other countries were turning tourists away at the border.

According to latest data shared by "Nomad List", Skopje is the second fastest growing digital nomad center in the last five years, with an impressive growth of 417 percent annually since 2018.

"The coronavirus crisis helped Macedonia highlight its strengths. Only in 2021, the first year after the pandemic, it recorded a growth of 114 percent," Travel Off Path writes.

From there they say that Macedonia is no longer a forgotten, post-communist country in South-Eastern Europe, nestled between Greece and Serbia: its tourism sector is booming and rediscovered by a new generation of "globetrotters" (a term for people who travel a lot).

Why is Macedonia so popular among digital nomads?

According to "Travel Off Path", the main reasons for the great interest are that Macedonia is not too populated, everything is cheaper here and that the country has strong social and cultural characteristics, like all other countries in Europe.

But it must also be noted that digital nomads really enjoy their stay in Macedonia, where there are "hiking trails in the middle of spectacular mountain landscapes, perfectly preserved medieval castles and cobblestone towns, ski resorts and crystal clear lakes."

Is there a Macedonian digital nomad visa?

Macedonian authorities announced plans to introduce a digital nomad visa as early as January 2021, but it has not yet been officially introduced. The project is supported by the Innovation and Technological Development Fund, and when officially launched, will allow remote workers to stay in the country for up to a year (with a potential extension).

The lack of a formal category of nomadic visas is not an obstacle, but an opportunity: nomads get a three-month stay when they arrive as tourists, and due to the relaxed border policy of the Balkan Peninsula, they can split their time between different countries in the Eastern bloc and extend their time in Europe indefinitely .

Here is the full list of the fastest growing digital nomad hubs and their growth over the last 50 years:

Palermo, Italy – 500 percent
Skopje, Macedonia – 417 percent
Azores, Portugal – 361 percent
Yerevan, Armenia – 308 percent
Majorca, Spain – 292 percent
Lima, Peru – 261 percent
Puebla, Mexico – 250 percent
Tbilisi, Georgia – 239 percent
Sofia, Bulgaria – 237 percent
Cairo, Egypt – 231 percent