Chilean authorities imposed new restrictions for visitors of the Easter Island on Wednesday, with President Sebastian Piñera personally endorsing the measure to protect the famous site.
“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,” Piñera said, speaking on the country’s 24-hour news channel.
The remote island is famous across the world as the home of the giant stone statues, Moai, built by the indigenous Rapa Nui people. In 1722, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to visit the Pacific island located some 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) west of Chilean mainland. In recent years, however, the island has seen tens of thousands of visitors per year.
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