Koh Pha-ngan was recently ranked the top workation destination in a recent survey conducted by William Russell, a website that offers health insurance, life insurance, and income protection plans for people living and working abroad.
The website counts ex-pats, individuals, professionals, families, remote workers, digital nomads, frequent travelers, startups, small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, nonprofits, and governmental organizations among its users.
According to the survey, Koh Pha-ngan – an island district of Surat Thani province – is the top workation destination, followed by Gran Canaria, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Austin, Texas, USA; São Paulo, Brazil; Budapest, Hungary; Canggu, Bali, Indonesia; Belgrade, Serbia; Berlin, Germany; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The ranking is determined by a variety of factors, including monthly costs, internet speed, entertainment and security.
Wichawut Jinto, the governor of Surat Thani province, said the need to work remotely during the pandemic led to the emergence of a new trend known as workation, in which expatriates can work full-time from anywhere in the world using only the internet and a laptop computer.
In December 2021, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) requested that Koh Pha-ngan business owners accept “digital nomads”, citing a strong trend of foreigners working remotely. As an increasing number of people will likely be looking for places to vacation and work away from home, the agency also affirmed that Thailand is more than capable of meeting this demand. (NNT)