Novovento, a co-living space created in 2017 in Ginetes, was born to welcome digital nomads at a time when the concept was little known in the Azores. Eight years later, the manager, Emilie Tassel, has changed the profile of the guests. In this interview, she explains the reasons and paints a picture of a phenomenon that, in her opinion, is unlikely to grow much more in the region. “The Azores are more sought after by those who want to take a break, stay longer, perhaps with their children, and work remotely. It is not a destination of choice for digital nomads who prefer to stay for just a month and are looking for a more active social and nightlife, such as that found in Madeira, for example,” she says.

Correio dos Açores – What was your life like before you arrived in São Miguel, and why did you choose to settle in the region?

Emilie Tassel (manager of Novovento) – I am from France and have been here for eight years. I arrived in 2017. I first came to São Miguel in 2013 as a tourist and immediately fell in love with the nature, the people, and the climate. I like the fact that we are in Europe and, at the same time, it doesn’t feel like we are, because deep down, the Azores are a place far away from the madness of the world.

I visited other islands in the archipelago, but I chose São Miguel because, at the time, it was the most touristy. I decided to go ahead when Ryanair and EasyJet started flying with low-cost fares. I realized that the island was going to develop and that it was the right time to open a co-living space, given the lack of competition in this format at the time.

In France, I did something completely different. I was a primary school teacher for six years, I managed a bookstore for teachers, and I worked at Erasmus helping teachers develop projects. But the fact is that I always had the dream of opening a guesthouse, a space where people could socialize and share experiences.

Why the name Novovento?

I opened the space with my boyfriend at the time, who has since returned to France six years ago. At the time, we created the project together and wanted a Portuguese name. Technically, it would be Vento Novo, but we opted for Novovento. For the logo, we chose the colors of the island: blue, black, and green.

The name also has a broader meaning. In the beginning, we had a mix of tourists and nomads, and almost everyone came looking for a fresh start, clarity, solutions, or to begin a new phase in their lives. And in fact, people come to the Azores to be in the midst of this peace, nature, and silence, to be alone with themselves and think about their lives, perhaps to change them or find what is missing.

And how would you describe the concept of the house?

The concept came from a place I visited in France, when I hadn’t yet found the right model for my accommodation. It’s called ‘La Mutinerie Village’, an old farm an hour and a half from Paris, transformed into a space that welcomes people who want to spend time in nature; sometimes remote workers, other times people just looking for something new. The stays are long, at least three or four months, and there is a community that shares skills and experiences.

When I was there in 2016, it was a classic co-living space, mainly welcoming nomads who came to work. Later, they also changed and became a seasonal retreat for those who need a break. When I first heard about this project, I thought it was exactly what I was looking for.

Novovento started out as a co-living space for digital nomads, but recently decided to change its target audience. What motivated this transformation?

When I started this project, I was the only one working with this format. Today, there are three or four similar spaces, and that has become a challenge. It is no longer easy to fill the house with just digital nomads. That was one of the reasons that led me to rethink the profile of our guests.

The other reason is myself. I’m 51 years old and, to be honest, I no longer have the energy to live every day with people in their twenties. At first, it was a good experience; people were nice, but most were between 25 and 35, and I started wanting to welcome people closer to my age. However, in this segment, it is difficult to find digital nomads available for long stays.

In addition, there is an economic dimension that is worth noting. The nomads who came here were young and did not spend as much money as a normal tourist. My space, being simple and not luxurious, fit this profile well, but it ended up not being sustainable. They usually stayed for a month and asked for a lower price due to their extended stay. With tourists, it’s different: they come on vacation, are more willing to pay, and spend more during their stay, whether on restaurants, activities, or local products. Digital nomads, as a rule, have lower budgets.

How is your relationship with the local community?

I have always been very well received. Initially, it was very important for me to learn the language to talk to my neighbors and the locals. I took some Portuguese lessons, and today I can communicate, although not as fluently as I would like. The truth is that I spend the day speaking English with guests and don’t have many opportunities to practice my Portuguese, which is a shame.

But I have always tried to maintain a local network, such as the fisherman who passes by on the street and from whom I buy fish, or the man who comes with his fruit and vegetable truck every Saturday. My neighbor cooks for the whole family and sometimes also cooks for my guests. It’s good money for her and a way for my guests to eat local food, typical of an Azorean family. I also take them to a local restaurant once a week, and I have other neighbors who sell eggs, for example, and the guests take the empty boxes and go there to buy them. For the car rental, I work with a family business in Ginetes. I prefer it that way because I know them, they are close by, and it is a family business. When guests want to go whale watching, I try to promote Terra do Pico, in Mosteiros, as it is also a small family business, and I really like them because they do an excellent job.

I always try to promote small local businesses, and I feel that my neighbors are happy with these interactions with people from all over the world.

Given your experience in this market, do you feel that the presence of digital nomads is growing in the Azores? Do you notice any differences in demand?

When I started, I tried to get some government support because this is a new type of tourist, someone who stays longer and keeps coming back even in the low season. In addition, they have different consumption patterns; they buy more at the supermarket and integrate into local life, not just in restaurants or tourist spots, but all over the island.

At the time, there were few of them. I’m not saying I did all the work, because Dwell Azores, a newer co-working and co-living space in Fenais da Luz, has brought a lot of people here, not least because they have more accommodation capacity. But overall, I don’t think we’ll have much more accommodation of this type. It’s not that the market has reached its limit, but I don’t see the Azores welcoming many more digital nomads.

This market is much bigger in Madeira or, for example, in the Canary Islands. Digital nomads are mostly young people looking for a place with more events and a more active nightlife. Here, the audience is very small, just those looking for a quiet place, surrounded by nature, to rest or work in peace.

Therefore, I don’t believe we will have an invasion of digital nomads in the Azores, nor that the number will increase significantly, because the calm and tranquility of the region is not what most of these young people are looking for.

I feel that more and more people are coming here for longer stays of one or two years, working remotely and renting a house for that period, often bringing their families with them. The Azores are more sought after by those who want to take a break, stay longer, perhaps with their children, and work remotely. It is not a destination of choice for younger digital nomads, who prefer to stay for just a month and are looking for a more active social and nightlife scene, such as that found in Madeira, for example.

What were the biggest challenges in setting up this type of business at a time when the concept was still unknown in the Azores?

I would say that the biggest challenge was getting some kind of help from the government. Initially, I explained the concept and the project; they thought it was interesting to have this new type of tourism coming in and said they would help me, but when I went ahead, they said no, that it was too early, that it didn’t fit the rules because it wasn’t a hotel or a guesthouse.

In addition, I asked for permission to have a dormitory, because some of my guests wanted more affordable prices due to their long stays, but the Ponta Delgada City Council did not authorize it. They told me that dormitories were only for hostels and that, as I was in Ginetes, outside the city, I couldn’t have a hostel and therefore couldn’t have a dormitory.

In 2017, you were told that it was too early to structure the digital nomad market. Has the pandemic changed that mindset?

COVID has caused people to stay at home and work from home, and has probably increased the number of nomads, but not as significantly as it may seem.

My guests were already digital nomads before the pandemic; they worked remotely because they chose that lifestyle. Today, many people work from home one day a week or the whole week, and that’s because of Covid, yes, but digital nomads were already a phenomenon or a way of life that came before.

In my case, COVID was not good for business; all my guests had to leave the island, and the house was empty for a few months. Fortunately, at that time, the government helped me because, like all other businesses, I was left with no way of generating income. It was the first time I felt that I was not alone and had some support, and that gave me the motivation to continue.

What are your plans for the future of Novovento?

For now, I’m happy with this way of working, getting to know the guests and sharing the house. It’s not like when you rent an Airbnb where there’s a box with the key, you go into the room, you don’t see anyone, and you leave. When they come to my house, nomads or not, people live with me every day, and I share the best trails, restaurants, and cultural life with them. I’m going to continue promoting São Miguel because I love this island, and I want to share that with those who visit us.

I’ll keep doing this, whether with nomads or tourists, because I enjoy the relationships you build with people. I’ve been here for eight years, and maybe one day I’ll decide to visit other places, but for now I’m happy here. The fact that this year I changed my target audience has given me a new boost, so I think I’ll continue for a while longer.

Daniela Canha is a journalist for Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros is the director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADE.