Strengthening Ties among the Indigenous Peoples of the World

to face the growth of Ethno-Tourism.

As the administrators of the Rapa Nui National Park, the Ma’u Henua Indigenous Community participated in the Vth International Colloquium on “Tourism, Indigenous Peoples, Traditional and Afro-descendant Communities: Indigenous Rights, Territory and Development in Touristic Contexts”, held at the Villarrica Campus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

The major topic was the progressive growth of tourism in indigenous areas with the consequent problems and challenges. On this occasion, academics, researchers and representatives

of indigenous communities from throughout Chile, Brazil,Argentina, Ecuador and Rapa Nui participated, fortifying the inter-American network of community and native organizations connected to tourism.


In that context, in the coming months, the Ma’u Henua Indigenous Community of Rapa Nui will receive a visit from the Council of Atacameño-Lickanantay Peoples from Antofagasta,which unites the indigenous communities of the Atacama La Grande Area of Indigenous Development. The purpose of this visit is to study the experience of management and tourism administration of Ma’u Henua, with a view to repeating it in the Atacameño-

Lickanantay territory.

In addition, the Indigenous Community of the Island

has been invited by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) to share their experience as an example of autonomous administration by a native people. WINTA is an international network for establishing alliances between individuals and native groups throughout the world, with a focus on empowering indigenous tourism based on native values of reciprocity and respect.