The inhabitants of Rapa Nui, the so-called Easter Island, have lived in isolation since the pandemic began when they decided to shield themselves from the outside for the first time. Eight hundred and seventy days without tourists, something unusual on this Polynesian island. But what saved them from covid in turn led them to an unprecedented economic crisis: 68% of subsidies devastate the region. With the cessation of tourism, the livelihood of 82% of the Rapanuis, they have depended for two years on layoffs and ingenuity to survive. This is the risk of “economic monoculture”, points out Esteve Dot, professor of Geography at the UAB and an expert in tourism.
Rapa Nui, a green speck in the immensity of the Pacific, is a natural oasis that year after year has hosted tourists eager to discover the mysteries of the gigantic moai, "the living face of our ancestors" in the popular language. "Now Rapa Nui is ready to reopen," says the mayor, Pedro Pablo Edmunds Paoa. They do it, yes, “responsibly”. This August, two weekly flights will arrive on the island (Thursday and Saturday), when before 16 planes landed each week. In September, a flight will be added on Mondays, and at the end of the month, they will reassess the situation. Edmunds warns that "they won't reach pre-pandemic numbers, when unemployment was at 6%, until 2024 or 2025." A slow process that, however, has the population expectant and eager to host the arrivals.
This has not been an easy journey for the Rapanuis. Under the mandate of his predecessor, Sebastián Piñera, criticizes the mayor, the central government abandoned them to their fate. They had tried to open borders on February 3, even against the policies of the Administration. However, given the lack of guarantees and the slow pace of vaccination, they decided to wait, hoping that a new government would show more willingness. They weren't wrong.
“Gabriel Boric's government has supported us since they took office in March,” says Edmunds. Before, the citizens of Easter Island could only be vaccinated from Monday to Thursday, at specific times and only in hospitals. “Now – he says – they are vaccinated every day and other community facilities have been set up”. They have already exceeded 80% of vaccinated, and the elderly are out of danger. "They were our greatest concern, not only because they are more vulnerable but because the ancestral wisdom of the Rapanui culture is deposited in them," explains the first provincial authority.
Esteve Dot, in turn, defends that remote places like this Chilean island have to find ways to gain autonomy from the central government: "In times of crisis, small businesses are thrown over the edge and depend almost entirely on the state administration" . For example, Dot proposes, through the collection capacity through taxes such as the tourist tax. "Although it may generate unpopularity, it is positive for the region because it allows a certain economic cash and is a way to compensate for our visit," explains the academic.
Another problem during the course of those two years of imprisonment was the lack of supplies. To guarantee the stock on the island, Rapa Nui promoted local production through family gardens and invested in agriculture. “Now families have wanted to keep those orchards, and those with excess production give it away or sell it at a minimum price,” explains Edmunds, who says that it had been a long time – too long, since he was a child, that he did not know I breathed that sense of community.
They have also explored alternatives through recycling, and are increasingly aware of the importance of saving energy and natural resources. "The measures were promoted in 2020 and in 2021 we are already entering a circular economy," he says.
Now the citizen can do without foreign elements. Dot applauds the good work of the islanders: "It's about finding a balance between economic, social and environmental benefit, favoring both suppliers and the local culture and tourists." A sustainable model that is being established in Rapa Nui and that, according to the professor, could lead to "an integral project that captures the attention of tourists who are looking for genuine and unique destinations."
Edmunds is clear that, despite the circumstances, Rapa Nui sells itself. After trying to describe the unique beauty of the island – “it is indescribably beautiful”, he justifies – the mayor, smiling and approachable, asks this reporter when he plans to visit it. “You have to come feel it,” she says, and her eyes sparkle at him. It is not only natural beauty, it is an inner, energetic beauty that makes you vibrate”.
