‘Airbnb rivals launch Digital Nomads Madeira Island and waive transaction fees to help local tourism sector ’

The deal will allow local landlords to let agents and accommodation providers list properties on the platforms for free with no requirement to pay tra

‘NomadX and Flatio won’t charge transaction fees on mid-term rentals to accommodation providers and Airbnb hosts in Madeira throughout 2021’

Two of Europe’s largest mid-term rental platforms, NomadX and Flatio, sign a strategic partnership with Digital Nomads Madeira Island to be the international accommodation marketplaces and won’t charge local hosts any transaction fees until 2022. In a bid to help the struggling tourism sector on Madeira Island - best known for its year-round good weather, luscious landscapes and adventure sports - the partners are offering local landlords and Airbnb Hosts risk-free listings across their platforms.

The plans support a recent public and private sector initiative, aiming to lure digital nomads and remote workers to the autonomous Portuguese Island. To combat the significant reduction in tourism (Madeira’s primary industry), the Regional Government of Madeira, alongside Startup Madeira and Goncalo Hall, recently launched Europe’s first ever ‘Digital Nomad Village’ in Ponta Do Sol on 1st February 2021. If you’d like to join us, registration is free and available here.

NomadX (an affordable accommodation marketplace for digital nomads) and Flatio (a month-to-month rental platform) companies have signed an exclusive strategic partnership as part of the initiative. The deal will allow local accommodation providers (like Airbnb hosts) list properties on the platforms for free with no requirement to pay transaction fees until 2022. If you’re a local host and want to list your accommodation, you can get started by listing rental accommodations here.

Ordinarily, short and mid-term letting platforms like Airbnb, NomadX and Flatio typically charge hosts a fee on completion of each transaction. However, as part of the strategic deal, NomadX and Flatio have agreed to waive hosts’ transaction fees to help the local tourism sector recoup lost earnings after a challenging year.

Dave Williams, the CEO and Co-founder of NomadX, said:

“As a platform designed for slow travellers, digital nomads and remote workers, we know how tough it is for Airbnb hosts and those in the short-term tourism industry. So, we wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with local landlords, letting agents and accommodation providers who have holiday lets on the Island to help them overcome this tricky time and offer a unique solution for our robust global community of over 12,000 remote work travellers.”

The two mid-term letting platforms also want to offer a more affordable alternative to Airbnb for guests hoping to stay for a few weeks or months, so digital nomads will also receive a 25% discount on service fees through year-end by entering the code DigitalNomadsMadeira.

“The Digital Nomads Madeira Island initiative is a project close to our hearts. NomadX was founded and launched in Portugal in 2017 through the Startup Lisboa accelerator to provide affordable month by month accommodation options for digital nomads. We could never have anticipated a global pandemic but what we see, as a result, is a massive tidal wave of digital professionals wanting to stay for more extended periods, averaging three months versus three days on Airbnb. Now Barbados, Greece and Croatia (plus many other countries) are starting to realize there are substantial economic benefits of recruiting digital nomads, remote workers and slow travellers to capitalize on this massive trend in work from anywhere and locating independent lifestyle.

Flatio and NomadX currently have over 130 fully-furnished properties on Madeira Island, ranging from studio apartments to luxury villas. But are still actively adding new local host inventory due to demand. For hosts looking to list accommodations, they can easily do so here. Unlike Airbnb, all stays under six months are deposit-free and come with secure bilingual tenancy agreements that can be signed online.

The Digital Nomads Madeira Island initiative is already gaining global attention following the recent CNN publication: like those and this one on Madeira island, which was again voted the leading island destination at the World Travel Awards in 2020, is what tourism needs at this time. There is a responsibility to manage these things responsibly and respectfully given the devastating nature of the virus circulating. Still, we expect to see other countries following suit as and when it’s safe to do so.”

Ponta Do Sol, situated on the Southside of the Island, is a small village with 8,200 people renowned for its long, sunny days. As part of the plan to transform Ponta do Sol into the world’s first nomad village, digital nomads will have access to a free co-working space (at John Do Passos Cultural Centre), free Wifi from 8 am - 10 pm and access to a Slack community. Over 100 people are currently taking part in the initiative across the Island, flights are arriving complete from Europe with free Covid-19 tests on arrival, and registration i

“This partnership will help to significantly boost the local accommodation offers for Digital Nomads. It’s a fantastic opportunity to place Madeira Islands in both platforms, that are focused on this niche market of Digital Nomads. We believe that this will be a new solution for the landlords, that will accommodate long-stay clients in Madeira and in that way bring a positive economical impact to this sector.”

NomadX is a Portugal-based affordable accommodation marketplace designed for digital nomads, slow travellers and remote workers with over 11,000 listings in Europe across 18 countries. Rentals are from 2 weeks to 12 months with average stays of three months and with monthly prices on average 50% less than Airbnb listings. The company was incubated at Startup Lisboa accelerator by Dave Williams, a US startup entrepreneur and digital industry pioneer, who relocated and resides in Portugal as his home base.

Flatio is a Czech Republic-based mid-term letting platform specialising in 1-6 months rentals (inclusive of bills) aimed at professionals, students and remote workers in 60 cities and 17 countries across Europe. Landlords and tenants sign full rental agreements. No deposits necessary.

For further media or press requests: dave@nomadx.com