How has earthquake affected Chile’s tourism?

On Saturday, February 27 2010, the western coast of South America was hit with a record-setting 8.8 scale earthquake – devastating the central region of Chile and killing over 700 people and sending waves of panic across the Pacific – fears of tsunamis reminiscent of the 2005 Southeast Asia disaster.

The Chilean cities closest to the epicenter, including Concepcion, Talcahuano and Temuco as well as a number of small towns along the country’s central coast were most affected by the quake.

Reports are continuing to virally spread across the web on the affected areas – including top Chilean tourism destinations. The good thing: Chile’s preparedness, including its strict anti-seismic building codes and rapid emergency response from the government as well as the help from a number of organizations can be credited for managing the situation and help minimize the damage. The country’s tourism infrastructure has, overall, fared well, reporting little damage.

“Our thoughts and sentiments go out to the families who have lost loved ones,” said Pablo Moll, executive director of Turismo Chile. “Chileans are a resilient people and we are hard at work to get the country back on its feet quickly. We look forward to continuing to welcome travelers and are making every effort to making them feel safe and secure.”

Destination sound off

While the northern and southern-most points of the vertically-positioned country as well as popular locale Easter Island have not reported any effects or damages, the country’s central region – including Santiago – was not as fortunate.

Santiago’s airport suffered structural damage to the passenger terminal, however no damage was reported to the runways and the airport is expected to reopen later this week.

Electricity and phone lines have since been restored throughout the city, while its public transportation including its metro is fully operational. Valparaiso and Viña del Mar have also reported damage. The annual Viña del Mar International Music festival which was underway has been suspended.

Most affected was the northern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region, around the city of Concepcion and the Bio Bio River.

While authorities are still working on assessing the full extent of the damage, essential services like water, electricity and telecommunications still being restored. The southern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region was not affected by the quake. Operations in popular tourist towns including Pucon, Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt are normal.

Tour operators and media requiring looking for more information can learn more at www.embassyofchile.org.