Travel restrictions in Easter Island of Chile
Moai – stone statues at Easter Island
Chilean authorities have imposed new restrictions for visitors of the prominent tourist spot of the country, the Easter Island. The restrictions were endorsed by the President, Sebastian Pinera on Wednesday, 1st August 2018
“It is a magical island, we all want to visit it, but it is also a sensitive island and therefore we have to take care of it,” said Pinera while speaking on the country’s 24-hour news channel.
The remote island is famous for its giant stone statues called Moai, built by the indigenous Rapa Nui people. It is told that Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to visit the Pacific island in 1722.
The government’s decision to restrict the tourism inflow to the island was due to the increasing number visitors to the environmentally fragile island. Now the visitors can stay at the island for 30 days, instead of 90 as before. These restrictions are applicable for foreign tourists, as well as Chileans, unless they belong to the native Rapa Nui population.
According the new regulations, tourists should fill out a special form, show return tickets and present a document confirming a hotel reservation or a letter of invitation from an islander. The restrictions would not apply to parents, partners or children of the Rapa Nui people.
Rupa Nui natives performing Traditional Dance at Easter Island
Civil servants, people working for the companies who provide services to the state and people who develop an independent economic activity with their families in the island are also exempt from these restrictions.
A 2017 census showed 7,750 people living on the island, almost twice as much as just few decades ago. “The population growth and the incessant flow of tourists are straining all basic services of the community. Besides, the crime and domestic violence figures are moving up,” said an official.
Considering the environmental hazards due to the increasing population in the Island, Pedro Edmunds, Mayor of the Island, thinks the new restrictions are not enough to tackle the issue, but a “total” ban on new residents may help.