Mexico City wants to attract digital nomads

The mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, wants to increase the number of digital nomads in the capital and has signed an agreement with the short-term rental platform Airbnb.

At a press conference, Sheinbaum announced the city government has not yet found a direct link between rental prices and the presence of Airbnb.

Sheinbaum explained that most digital nomads – people who work online rather than in an office, often in another country – live in expensive neighborhoods where rents are already higher than in other areas of the capital, such as Condesa, Roma, and Polanco.

“We don’t want rents to skyrocket in light of this situation,” she stressed, adding that her administration will continue to monitor the situation.

Average daily rates for short-term rentals in Mexico City increased 27% to US$93 in August 2022 compared to the same month in 2019, according to the market research firm AirDNA.

According to Sheinbaum, Airbnb also opens its platforms to Mexican residents to create tourism experiences around their daily activities.

The partnership between the Mexico City government and Airbnb is also supported by UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency.

With information from Latina Press