Essaouira to host digital nomad summit of global investors, policymakers and business innovators

The Moroccan city of Essaouira has been chosen to host a cutting-edge global summit focused on the fast-growing digital nomad demographic.

The Connect Summit takes place from May 6th to May 9th at Technopark Essaouira and brings together an exclusive group of 60 government officials, global investors and industry thought leaders to share expert knowledge, collaborate on policy solutions, and bolster the sector's investment landscape.

Research shows there are already 35 million digital nomads in the world today, thanks to the rise of remote and flexible work since the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts say that digital nomad travel - defined by travelers performing digital work while living in a destination for at least one month - will eventually grow bigger than conventional tourism, with an anticipated 1 billion digital nomads worldwide by 2030.

Morocco is well-positioned to take advantage of the nomad opportunity because of its enticing mix of culture, climate and infrastructure, which has already made it one of the world's most successful tourist destinations. Morocco is home to 10 international airports and has more than 1,000 international flight departures per week. Morocco's internet speed is among the fastest in Africa, with an average of 7.36 MBps, making it easy for digital nomads to stay connected with their clients and colleagues as they remote work.

Essaouira is known for its beautiful beaches, vibrant arts scene, and laid-back atmosphere. Essaouira is a great destination for digital nomads who want to live near the beach and enjoy a slower pace of life. The city has many cafes, restaurants and coworking spaces, providing great work-life balance and community.

The Connect Summit features a lineup of prestigious international speakers including:

• Lauren Razavi, the British-Iranian director of Silicon Valley innovation lab Plumia, and a world-renowned expert on digital nomads who has spoken at the United Nations and the European Commission

• Hans Meyer, the Dutch founder of award-winning global hotel brand Zoku - "one of the world's 25 coolest hotels" according to Forbes - which focuses on digital nomads and remote workers

• Gonçalo Hall, the Portuguese founder of Madeira's groundbreaking digital nomad village, a project lauded by international media titles such as Wired, Sifted, The Washington Post and Lonely Planet

• government officials and policymakers from the European Union, Southeast Asia and Latin America

The Connect Summit is organized by Consensus Public Relations (CPR) in collaboration with the city of Essaouira, the FRDISI Foundation for Research in Science and Engineering, and SafetyWing, the largest nomad-serving company in the world, which was born out of the famous startup accelerator program Y Combinator and has so far raised $50 USD million in venture capital to advance the nomad movement worldwide.

M. Tarik Ottmani, Mayor of Essaouira said:

"As the world turns towards digitisation and remote work, it is a great honour for Essaouira to host an esteemed group of international thought leaders from the digital nomad industry, to help us explore the opportunities this growing market represents. Essaouira is already a celebrated lifestyle destination, loved fondly by all of those who visit, and I believe we are well-placed to lead as a digital nomad hub, full of global talent and innovative ideas, in this new era of work and life."

M. Hicham Medromi, Deputy President of the FRDISI Foundation said:

"Innovation requires four important ingredients: human capital, ecosystem, education, and research. These are the ingredients we are developing in Essaouira. We have been identifying the human capital talents of Essaouira and providing the local community with the educational and technical tools needed to create an innovative ecosystem. As part of this proactive approach, the foundation has launched SUPTECH Essaouira, an engineering school offering educational programs for engineers and technicians in the fields of biomedical engineering and health technologies. We believe that the presence of digital nomads in Essaouira will add great value to our ecosystem via the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience."

Stefan Heggelund, Head of Communications at SafetyWing said:

"We know that digital nomads tend stay in a destination for 1-6 months, spend an average of $2,100 USD per month on accommodation, food, coworking and leisure activities. The digital nomad market offers enormous opportunities for governments, businesses and investors in all countries that engage. SafetyWing is delighted to see Morocco and Essaouira paving the way for Africa and the Middle East to serve digital nomads, and are happy to support and contribute to this important work."

For more information and press enquiries, please contact Stefan Heggelund at SafetyWing on stefanh@safetywing.com.

SafetyWing, 2261 Market Street STE 5986, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA

About SafetyWing:

SafetyWing was founded in 2018 to serve and expand the digital nomad market. Since then, the Silicon Valley company has raised over $50 million in venture capital funding and employs 150 people across more than 45 countries. It currently offers borderless health insurance products for both the B2C and B2B markets. The company's overall mission to build a global social safety net of health, unemployment, retirement and more designed to support and de-risk the digital nomad lifestyle for governments, businesses and individuals alike.

www.safetywing.com

About the FRDISI Foundation:

The Foundation for Research, Development and Innovation in Science and Engineering (FRDISI) is chaired by H.E. André Azoulay, senior adviser to His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and was founded in 2016 with a view to strengthening public-private partnerships in Morocco for the research and innovation sphere.

The foundation brings public stakeholders together alongside socio-professional stakeholders and representatives of the private sector to share and pool resources to develop experimental research platforms. The foundation is ultimately committed to boosting the country's economic development by supporting businesses, aiding the creation of tech start-ups and increasing young people's integration into the workplace through research-led training.

www.frdisi.ma

This release was published on openPR.