Inside the 2025 Executive Nomad Ranking: Why Some Cities Are Winning — and Others Are Being Left Behind

If you’re not building for the new wave of digital talent, you’re already falling behind.

The Savills Executive Nomad Index 2025 is a snapshot of the future, ranking destinations based on what remote professionals value most: fast internet, great weather, quality of life, and global connectivity. But beyond the data, the report points to a bigger trend: cities that proactively design for digital nomads and remote workers are becoming the new economic winners.

Portugal Proves It’s Possible

Lisbon and the Algarve ranked impressively in this year’s index. These aren’t just vacation destinations anymore—they’re fast becoming Europe’s front door to remote work migration.

In Albufeira, we at NomadX and the Digital Nomads Association Portugal are actively managing the transformation. With the Albufeira Digital Nomads initiative, we’re building real infrastructure: not just coliving and coworking spaces, but long-term community, government alignment, and pathways for economic contribution.

And with three editions of The Nomad World held in Albufeira, we’ve brought thousands of nomads to the region—not just for a week, but to explore, connect, and contribute. The economic ripple effect is tangible: extended stays, local hiring, new business creation, and off-season tourism growth.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Malta: Governments That Get It

At the top of the Savills list sit Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Their presence isn’t just about weather or internet speeds—it’s about strategy. These cities have made digital nomads part of their talent pipeline.

They offer clear visa pathways, strong incentives, and have built environments that make long-term remote life appealing—coworking hubs, digital free zones, networking infrastructure, wellness, and premium services.

Malta is another government punching above its weight. With proactive remote work policies, English-speaking environment, and direct ties to the EU, it has quietly positioned itself as a Mediterranean base for remote entrepreneurs.

In all three cases, the takeaway is simple: governments that act, win.

Roatán: A New Frontier in the Caribbean

While Barbados earned its place on the list with its early adoption of the digital nomad visa model, there’s another Caribbean destination worth watching: Roatán, Honduras.

Here in Próspera, where I’m currently based, a new kind of governance experiment is underway. With private infrastructure, streamlined bureaucracy, and a growing global community, Roatán is building the kind of environment where nomads, entrepreneurs, and investors can co-create a new economic reality.

It’s what happens when policy innovation meets natural paradise.

The Cayman Islands, also featured, is another premium choice, but more needs to be done for affordability and access to local community—something Roatán is building from day one.

Where Is Latin America?

One glaring absence from the list is South America.

Cities like Medellín, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Rio de Janeiro offer exceptional quality of life, thriving cultural scenes, and affordable living—yet they’re missing from the index. Why? Likely because most governments haven’t built the scaffolding yet: visas, incentives, startup ecosystems, remote-friendly infrastructure.

But the demand is there. Nomads are already voting with their passports.

This Is a Wake-Up Call

As CEO of NomadX, I work directly with governments and cities trying to reinvent themselves for the remote economy. Here’s what I tell them:

If you want to attract talent, capital, and long-term economic value, digital nomads are your front door.

They are not tourists. They stay longer, spend more, and often build businesses locally.
But they only come—and stay—where they feel welcomed, connected, and empowered to contribute.

Cities like Albufeira, Dubai, and the country of Malta are winning because they are doing the work.

For everyone else: the clock is ticking.

The digital workforce isn’t shrinking—it’s multiplying. Remote work is no longer a fringe lifestyle; it’s a structural shift in how talent moves. If you’re a destination with ambition, and you’re not already building policies, infrastructure, and community around this, you’re not just missing out—you’re being left behind.

Let’s Build What Comes Next

We need more governments on this list—not fewer. And we need new regions to rise.

At NomadX, we’re already helping shape that future in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The next ten years will be defined by the destinations that see this for what it really is:

Not just travel. Not just trend. But a global migration of talent.