Whereas the aboriginal economy was based on the cultivation of sweet potato, chicken raising, sheep ranching and coastal fishing, the island has shifted to a cash economy based on tourism. Since the opening of the Mataveri airport in the 1960s, Rapa Nui has seen a steadily growing influx of visitors, which now averages 40,000 per year – ten times the local population. While the bulk of jobs is provided directly and indirectly by tourism, a small proportion of islanders also depends on employment in the central government’s administration.