Photo Credit: velkr0
Don't disregard Chile tourism just yet, travel officials from the country are saying. After the 8.8-magnitude Chile earthquake that hit on February 27, United States officials have warned against any non-essential travel to the area; however, since tourism accounts for nearly $10 billion of Chile's GDP, the South American country says that tourists are welcome. Tourism officials want to be clear that Chile is "open for business."
The epicenter of the earthquake, which killed more than 800 people, was closest to the city of Concepcion. Santiago is about 350 miles away from Concepcion and wasn't as badly affected. Those in the travel and tourism industries want to remind potential visitors about the size of the country, and that while some areas are still in turmoil, other areas are functioning as usual--especially the common tourist destinations.
While Chile tourism officials do not want to downplay the natural disaster, they also do not want their economy to suffer further. Their message is that travel to Chile will help the country recover from the literally earth shaking event. Santiago's main airport began hosting flights again on March 5 and 60 percent of national flights are running.
If you'd like to visit Chile to help with earthquake relief efforts, Frommer's lists two starting places:
"These two Chile-based organizations work directly with Chileans in need; there are no middlemen clogging up the chain.
- Un Techo Para Chile (www.untechoparachile.cl): Similar to Habitat for Humanity, this organization was started by university students doing social work. They gather Tetra packaging and process them into material to build pre-fabricated (and earthquake-resistant!) housing.
- El Hogar de Cristo (www.hogardecristo.cl): Founded by San Alberto Hurtado in the 1960s, this organization works with homeless people. The group currently has schools as well as homes for street kids, orphans, and senior citizens."
Whether you're working with those in need on a voluntourism trip, or simply contributing to the country's economy through your vacation, there are a number of benefits of Chile tourism.
