Originally Posted by
jlarroulet
Yes, they do welcome the tourists. You are correct when stating they rely on that source of income. They are, however, also very aware that such a small island has serious limitations in terms of natural resources (which are very scarce) and in aspects such as waste disposal so they are actually inclined to maintaining a steady flow of tourists rather than let it grow freely to meet demand.
I was there a little while back and found almost everyone (locals and mainlanders alike) very friendly (apart from the .......s who welcomed me into their restaurant saying they had working wifi and then didn't. They really should have changed the default admin password on their router if they intended to play that game.)
Their beef is really more with the mainland government as well as serious divisions within the Rapa Nui themselves over how they want to see development progressing.
But it's a great place.