JOHOR BARU: With Johor’s rapid economic and infrastructure development, more should be done to position the state as an ideal destination for digital nomads, say hoteliers.
They said that despite the introduction of the DE Rantau nomad pass – a special visa allowing the group to live and work remotely in Malaysia – many are still unaware of its existence and application process.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) also makes it timely to intensify efforts to attract digital nomads.
“The state, especially Johor Baru, is well connected and will be even more so once the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is completed.
“They could live and work here while conveniently crossing over to Singapore for networking or business meetings anytime.
“On top of the JS-SEZ, we also have data centres that could offer more opportunities to digital nomads,” he said.
Teo said awareness campaigns to attract digital nomads to Malaysia should be carried out overseas, especially in countries such as China, which has a high level of investment here.
“It does not make much sense for them to find out about the pass only when they are already in Malaysia,” he said.
“Stakeholders could also visit places such as Quanzhou and Kunming in China to attract potential digital nomads to Johor.”
Teo said hotels in the state are also prepared to support efforts to draw the group, including by offering packages that cater to their needs.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) Johor Chapter chairman Jarod Chia said the outskirts areas of the state also have the potential to attract digital nomads.
“Some of them may prefer places with more peace and quiet and hotels in outskirts areas could offer such comfort,” he said.
Chia said MyBHA is prepared to work with the relevant parties to develop suitable packages for the group.
