Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads

A new way of life and work—digital nomadism—is increasingly appealing to a growing global workforce, while many destinations are beginning to view this form of tourism not only as an economic opportunity but also as a strategic tool for mitigating seasonality and promoting sustainable destination de...

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Main Authors: Ioulia Poulaki, Eirini Vlassi, Eleni Mavragani, Eleftheria Chatzimichali, Andreas Papatheodorou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Tourism and Hospitality
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/81
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author Ioulia Poulaki
Eirini Vlassi
Eleni Mavragani
Eleftheria Chatzimichali
Andreas Papatheodorou
author_facet Ioulia Poulaki
Eirini Vlassi
Eleni Mavragani
Eleftheria Chatzimichali
Andreas Papatheodorou
author_sort Ioulia Poulaki
collection DOAJ
description A new way of life and work—digital nomadism—is increasingly appealing to a growing global workforce, while many destinations are beginning to view this form of tourism not only as an economic opportunity but also as a strategic tool for mitigating seasonality and promoting sustainable destination development. This paper aims to identify the key criteria that digital nomads consider when selecting a temporary residence base, contributing to the growing body of research on digital nomadism by analysing the relative impact of various factors influencing destination choice. The originality of this study lies in its mixed-method approach, which combines secondary and primary data through a netnographic analysis of online communities and semi-structured interviews with digital nomads. Findings from the secondary data highlight the cost of living, internet quality, and lifestyle offerings of a destination as the most influential factors in nomadic decision-making. Additionally, primary data further illustrate the hierarchy of digital nomads’ needs and preferences, which are classified and prioritised based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These insights carry significant implications for destination managers and tourism stakeholders. Understanding and responding to the evolving expectations of digital nomads can help destinations not only attract this emerging market segment but also design policies and infrastructure that align with principles of sustainable tourism.
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spelling doaj-art-e1fee7f759be46e1b2888ddf8be353d02025-08-20T03:26:56ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682025-05-01628110.3390/tourhosp6020081Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital NomadsIoulia Poulaki0Eirini Vlassi1Eleni Mavragani2Eleftheria Chatzimichali3Andreas Papatheodorou4Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean, 82132 Chios, GreeceDepartment of Tourism Economics and Management, University of the Aegean, 82132 Chios, GreeceDepartment of Accounting and Finance, University of Macedonia, 54636 Thessaloniki, GreeceTourism Business Administration Postgraduate Program, Neapolis University Pafos, 8042 Pafos, CyprusDepartment of Tourism Economics and Management, University of the Aegean, 82132 Chios, GreeceA new way of life and work—digital nomadism—is increasingly appealing to a growing global workforce, while many destinations are beginning to view this form of tourism not only as an economic opportunity but also as a strategic tool for mitigating seasonality and promoting sustainable destination development. This paper aims to identify the key criteria that digital nomads consider when selecting a temporary residence base, contributing to the growing body of research on digital nomadism by analysing the relative impact of various factors influencing destination choice. The originality of this study lies in its mixed-method approach, which combines secondary and primary data through a netnographic analysis of online communities and semi-structured interviews with digital nomads. Findings from the secondary data highlight the cost of living, internet quality, and lifestyle offerings of a destination as the most influential factors in nomadic decision-making. Additionally, primary data further illustrate the hierarchy of digital nomads’ needs and preferences, which are classified and prioritised based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These insights carry significant implications for destination managers and tourism stakeholders. Understanding and responding to the evolving expectations of digital nomads can help destinations not only attract this emerging market segment but also design policies and infrastructure that align with principles of sustainable tourism.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/81digital nomadsnetnographic analysislifestyle mobilitiestourism developmentdestination policymaking
spellingShingle Ioulia Poulaki
Eirini Vlassi
Eleni Mavragani
Eleftheria Chatzimichali
Andreas Papatheodorou
Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
Tourism and Hospitality
digital nomads
netnographic analysis
lifestyle mobilities
tourism development
destination policymaking
title Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
title_full Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
title_fullStr Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
title_full_unstemmed Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
title_short Destination Buzzers: Netnographying Digital Nomads
title_sort destination buzzers netnographying digital nomads
topic digital nomads
netnographic analysis
lifestyle mobilities
tourism development
destination policymaking
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/81
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AT eirinivlassi destinationbuzzersnetnographyingdigitalnomads
AT elenimavragani destinationbuzzersnetnographyingdigitalnomads
AT eleftheriachatzimichali destinationbuzzersnetnographyingdigitalnomads
AT andreaspapatheodorou destinationbuzzersnetnographyingdigitalnomads