A first flight of visitors is expected Thursday in Chilean territory. Before the start of the pandemic, it was visited by around 160,000 people each year.
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The moai, famous monumental statues of Easter Island, will once again hear the click of the cameras. The Chilean territory, lost in the middle of the Pacific, is open to tourists again, Monday August 1, two years after strict restrictive measures were put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. A first flight of tourists, most of whom had booked before the pandemic in early 2020, will land on Thursday at Hanga Roa International Airport, the island’s capital, the undersecretary told local press. to Tourism, Veronica Kunze.
Before the pandemic, this island welcomed around 160,000 tourists a year, transported by two daily flights, for around 7,000 permanent inhabitants. “We have to open the island, but we have to do it safely”, said Veronica Kunze. The reopening will be done gradually. There will only be two flights per week and only people who are up to date with their vaccination schedule and who present a negative PCR test within 24 hours will be allowed to visit the island.
In October 2021, residents were called to vote on whether to reopen the island in January. The no had won with 67% of the votes cast, but less than 20% of the inhabitants had moved to the polls.