Indonesia and Thailand in slow race for digital nomad visa

Despite trend toward remote working, Asia has yet to seize on opportunities

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Digital nomads stay overseas for longer than periods regular leisure tourists, offering potentially lucrative rewards for countries that can find a way to host them -- and tax them -- without scaring them away to other locales. (Photo by Ian Neubauer)

IAN LLOYD NEUBAUER, Contributing writer

BANGKOK -- In August last year, Estonia, the Eastern European digital powerhouse that gave the world Skype, introduced the world's first visa for digital nomads -- a loose group of remote workers and freelancers who travel the globe and earn a living anywhere as long as there is fast and reliable internet connection.

Two months later, Dubai followed suit with a digital nomad program, while Croatia introduced new legislation and 12-month visas for digital nomads this year. Four Caribbean Island nations -- Barbados, Bermuda, Anguilla and the Cayman Islands -- have also joined the bandwagon in a bid to attract members of the most lucrative and fastest-growing migrant worker trend of the digital era.

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