I SAW THE MOAI for the first time at sunset, lording over the coast of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, like giant warriors armored in gold.
At an average 13 feet tall and weighing as much as 14 tons, these remarkable figures, set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, looked more human-like as I walked closer. One was wide-eyed; another stern. Their neighbor up the hill appeared winsome.
There are nearly 1,000 moai (which means "statues" in the Rapanui language) on this Chilean territory. They are thought to have been hewn between the 12th and 17th centuries, after Polynesians voyaged to the middle of the earth's largest ocean in search of new lands, came upon a fertile, unpopulated island, and settled there.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, production of the moai stopped as the islanders faced enslavement by Peruvian raiders, escalating civil unrest, and disease.
By the early 2000s, the moai had created a $120 million travel industry-more than 150,000 visitors from around the world were going to see them each year.
And then, in March 2020, everything stopped. Fearing the island's only hospital (with just three ventilators) was ill-equipped for the pandemic, the island's mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, asked LATAM Airlines to cancel all flights into Mataveri International Airport, the world's most remote commercial airfield. This effectively cut the island off from the rest of the world in a way it hadn't been since the late 1960s, when the first propeller planes crossed the South Pacific from Santiago. At the time, 72 percent of the island's 7,750 residents worked directly in tourism. In an instant, not only were there no visitors but there was little in the way of supplies.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
TOTALLY TANGIER
With the debut of an impeccable seaside villa turned hotel, Morocco's bohemian enclave is suddenly back on the map.
OF SEA & STONE
In a quiet corner of mainland Greece, a glamorous new resort offers access to extraordinary treasures, both natural and archaeological.
Changing Nature
A mountain town in Japan has become a showcase for forward-thinking design.
Waking Up Waco
A reality-TV couple did more than open a hotel in the middle of Texas. They gave the city a public makeover.
To the Manor Born
In Mallorca, Spain, new resorts carved from old estates offer a break from the crowds.
HIGH - MIGHTY
On the fringes of a lesserknown Kenyan park, a new lodge brings you face-to-face with some of Africa's most majestic animals. Paul Brady goes in search of the biggest beast of them all.
GLOBAL VISION AWARDS
THE 26 PEOPLE, COMPANIES, AND NONPROFITS | CHANGING THE WAY WE TRAVEL FOR THE BETTER
High Tea
In Sri Lanka, a new walking trail weaves through mist-shrouded forests and centuries-old estates. Erin Vivid Riley makes the pilgrimage.
Devils' Advocates
Tasmania’s most famous species is under threat—but all hope is not lost. Elizabeth Warkentin heads down under to see the conservation effort up close.
Out of the Blue
Honduras beckons scuba divers, waterfall rappellers, and other thrill seekers. Nora Walsh takes the plunge.