The first flight of the islands new chapter landed at Mataveri International Airport on August 4, 2022.
A milestone was reached on Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island), as the first group of tourists was welcomed to the island after 868 days of border closures.
The arriving tourists, in excess of 230 guests, marked the official return of visitors tot he island.
"We are very happy that the island is starting this new stage of reopening. Most tourist services are ready to welcome visitors, maintaining appropriate hygiene protocols and with the hope of reactivating their businesses. We would also like to reiterate our invitation to all of them to apply to the Chile Apoya programmes, especially Sercotec's Recupera Turismo (Tourism Recovery), which has extended the application deadline," said the undersecretary of tourism, Ver?nica Kunze.
Among the main health measures adopted, an increase in testing, traceability and isolation capacity aims to control the spread of Covid-19 on the island.
"Expectations are high, people are happy and pleased to finally have their bridge open, not only to welcome guests, which is necessary for the economy, but also to have that sense of freedom to be able to leave and return from the island", said Pedro Edmunds, Mayor of Rapa Nui.
Tourists arriving on the island must present a negative PCR test result, taken no later than 24 hours before boarding arriving flights. They must alos register for the Mobility Pass, reflecting their vaccination status.
