Businesses in Greece view digital nomads with a mix of hope and caution, treating them as both a market opening and a possible strain on local life, a new study finds. Whether owners see these remote workers as a payday often depends on how they label them in the first place.
The study, published in the journal “Tourism and Hospitality,” surveyed 747 small and medium-sized business owners and managers across Greece.
Lead author Stefanos Balaskas of the Department of Business Administration at the University of Patras led the work, which used statistical modeling to map how firms read this fast-growing group of travelers.
Digital nomads sit in a gray zone. They work remotely while staying somewhere temporarily, blurring the line between tourist, resident, and worker.
Because of that, the study found, business owners do not respond to them automatically. They first decide what kind of customer a nomad really is.
Business owners first decide what kind of customer a nomad is
The researchers identified two ways firms classify these workers. Some see them mainly as temporary outsiders who are not part of the local community. Others see them as tourists who spend money and need services. Those two labels lead to very different reactions.
When owners viewed nomads as temporary non-residents, they leaned toward supporting protective rules, such as safeguards for housing and clearer tax responsibilities.
That belief did not, on its own, push firms to change their services. But when owners saw nomads as tourist-like customers, they backed both protective rules and business changes to court them.
The strongest driver of adaptation was simple: money. Firms that expected clear commercial value, like off-season demand or extra spending, were the most willing to adjust. Balaskas and his colleagues noted that perceived benefits mattered more than any other factor in shaping those plans.
Businesses in Greece adapt to digital nomads for the money
A surprising result stood out. Owners who worried about harms, including housing pressure and strain on local services, still showed interest in adapting to nomads. The researchers suggested this reflects pragmatism. Some firms recognize the costs but consider the market too valuable to ignore.
Support for rules did not signal opposition, the study added. Many owners wanted both growth and guardrails at the same time. They appeared to see governance as a way to protect the value nomads bring, not block it.
Responses also varied by firm size, age, and reliance on tourism. Because of that, the authors argued, one-size-fits-all policies will likely fall short. They recommend targeted help instead.
The findings come from a single point in time, so the researchers cautioned that the links show association rather than cause.
