Robinson’s digital nomad proposal ‘good for market’ but ‘needs more fleshing out’

The Realtors Association of Jamaica (RAJ) has endorsed Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson’s proposal for a digital nomad programme, arguing that it could boost both long- and short-term rentals while attracting remote workers to invest in or eventually settle in Jamaica.

“We actually think it would be good for our market,” Gabrielle Gilpin-Hudson, president of the RAJ, told The Gleaner.

“We think that these people will come here and spend money. They will go to restaurants, they will be renting places, they will be employing people to clean their homes or paying persons to clean their homes, so I think that it will spur economic activity,” she added.

Robinson, in his contribution to the 2026-2027 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives last week, argued that the measure would avoid new taxes on Jamaicans recovering from the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Melissa.

With a proposed US$2,000 visa fee and a target of 5,000 participants in the first year, Robinson estimated that the initiative could generate approximately $1.5 billion in revenue and stimulate economic activity through spending on accommodation, dining, and local services, particularly leveraging Jamaica’s appeal as a tourist destination.

“We can appreciate that the more significant economic contribution comes from what those 5,000 people do while they are here,” said Robinson. “They stay in hotels and rental properties. They eat at restaurants. They use local services. They spend. And that spending circulates through the economy.”

She noted that the association backed the concept when Barbados introduced it in 2020 and had, at the time, recommended that Jamaica adopt a similar programme.

IMPACTS OF PROGRAMME

The Barbados Welcome Stamp programme has impacted the island’s economy and global perception as a remote work destination, with participants, who are exempt from local income tax, contributing to various sectors, including housing, transportation, and retail.

However, the increased demand from high-income remote workers has caused concerns about the rising costs of housing and potential displacement of locals.

Gilpin-Hudson stated that Jamaica already faces an affordability challenge in the real estate market for locals but said that this issue needs to be looked at separately.

“You have different things there, including things like the cost of construction, supporting infrastructure, land availability and zoning, and things like that that need to be looked at and addressed,” she said.

“I don’t think that the estimated 5,000 persons coming in under this programme, those 5,000 persons, I don’t think, will be enough to move the needle of our affordability one way or the other,” she added.

She asserted that the proposal needs more details and that the RAJ is committed to assisting if such a policy were to be adopted.

“Some of the details that we’ll be looking forward to is, for example, what is the minimum income threshold for these persons,because if you are going to have persons coming in, you want to make sure that these persons can afford to live here. Will these persons be required to have things like health insurance in place, and so on?” she asked. “It’s a good idea in concept, but it needs more fleshing out.”

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com