The boring stuff wins
Teasing you...
As promised, here is a first taste of NOMAG’s research project, Italy, At Least… Temporarily: an anonymous English-language questionnaire sent to 1,500 long-standing international members of the NOMAG audience, with 1,056 complete and partial responses.
The early finding? Italy does not need to sell more mythology. People already want Italy. The problem is making Italy easy enough to choose.
When asked what influences where they would stay, respondents put transport and accessibility first, at 65.8%. Healthcare and practical services follow at 59.8%. Internet and workspace — the sacred altar of most digital-nomad PowerPoints — comes third, at 45.5%.
So yes, Wi-Fi matters. But apparently buses, trains, doctors, pharmacies and the ability to live normally matter too. Shocking news for anyone still designing “nomad strategies” around beanbags, exposed brick and a laptop under a lemon tree.
This matters because NOMAG’s audience is not the usual cartoon of young backpackers drifting from one beach to another. The research points to experienced professionals, entrepreneurs, employees, couples and families looking for a private home, a stable base and services that work beyond the tourist season.
The message for Italy is simple: do not invent a lifestyle for digital nomads. Make temporary life work.