Is it okay to go to Santiago?

In the aftermath of any major disaster some travellers ask if it is okay to go? Is it too soon?  The major earthquake in Santiago is no different in naturally inviting these questions.

Every situation is different

Chile has coped much better with their major earthquake than Haiti has with theirs, despite the Chilean quake being hundreds of times stronger. This means it is important to get quality information from locals if you can.

If airlines are flying (commercial rather than relief flights) then basic infrastructure isn’t too badly affected. The local airline(s) are worst affected of all airlines, and so a good indicator of basic services. In the case of Chile, LAN is flying although some immigration processes for Santiago arrivals and departures have been moved to technical stops in Antofogasta, Iqique and Punta Arenas. Some flights are cancelled but most are now operating.

Will the visit be unpleasant?

Possibly, if your expectations aren’t realistic and you’re hoping that nothing has changed.

Is it too soon?

One view is that visitors spend money and help locals who rely on tourism or international business get their lives back to normal.  Staying away can hamper recovery efforts by depressing the economy at a time when help is needed.  This is true not only of the area affected by the disaster but other parts of the country or region as well – for example only central Chile has had material damage from the recent quake.

Another view is that visitors may get in the way of rebuilding efforts and be an unwanted distraction and drain on scarce resources (eg a hotel uses disproportionate amounts of both power and water and thus limits access for locals if supplies are limited).

If I had travel to Chile right now I would have no hesitation in going. Would you?