A campaign to market Donegal overseas as a place where people can move to work remotely is to be launched next year.
According to www.businesspost.ie tender documents show that Donegal County Council is seeking a company to help boost the county as a “desirable and viable location” for people seeking to work in a place of “outstanding natural scenic beauty”.
A similar project to attract people to relocate to Arranmore Island proved to be a huge international success.
The local authority is seeking to capitalise on the rise of remote working during the pandemic and attract more people to live in Donegal, which has 15 remote working hubs.
It is primarily targeting first and second-generation diaspora for whom Covid-19 has “triggered or reignited” a change of life priorities, in a marketing campaign which will go live in 2023.
The successful company will have to target the county’s diaspora overseas, including people living in Britain, the US, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
They have been asked to work with “bloggers” or advocates of moving to Donegal to “develop relevant and meaningful content for target audiences to share each step of their experience and act as motivation for those considering and/or in the process of moving to Donegal”.
The county has grown in prominence as a viable location for remote working over the last two years thanks to its coastal beauty and its increasing connectivity.
According to the documents, Donegal has more blue flag beaches than anywhere else in Ireland, while 71 per cent of residents who travel to work commute in less than 30 minutes.
“While house prices in Donegal are rising they are on average 56% lower than the national average,” the council said, noting that “renting and childcare costs are also significantly lower than the national average”.
Paddy Cosgrave, the outspoken founder of Web Summit, is among those who have frequently tweeted about the benefits of working in the county.
In July, Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, launched a series of projects across Donegal with funding of more than €8 million.
