Chile, like most countries have done recently, closed its borders on 18 March 2020. This affected some of our clients who were still travelling and had to return home as quickly as possible.
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic therefore posed a great challenge for us as well. However, as our travelArt team in Chile is already experienced in dealing with crisis situations (be it the earthquake in the middle of the 2010 peak season or the huge fire in Torres del Paine in the 2011/2012 season), we have managed, with tireless dedication, to get all our guests safely out of Chile and back home.
Whether on a cruise ship, on Easter Island or on a round trip tour through other South American countries, everyone was able to return home. We were especially happy to receive letters of thanks from a group that unfortunately could only stay in Santiago for a few days due to the situation and then had to cut their trip short to fly home.
Here are some of the expressions of gratitude that we were very happy to receive:
“We arrived in Santiago from Bolivia, ready to start the tour, only to discover that due to the coronavirus Chile was closing it borders on the 18th. Understandably we were all very concerned. In this respect the tour guide was wonderful. He had a very positive, calm approach. He took us to the airport to arrange alternative flights, no mean feat, as the queues were very long and confusion the order of the day. Then as we had a couple of days before any of us could fly, he went out of his way to provide us an enjoyable time.”
“Now that I am safely at home, following a rather short stay in Chile, I really must write to express my deepest appreciation and sincerest thanks for the service provided by travelArt and, in particular, your representative tour guide. We were unfortunate to be caught up in the coronavirus situation, which led to the cancellation of our tour and the need to urgently change our arrangements and return home. Happily, we were exceptionally well cared for by the tour guide – with the support of your office staff – throughout, helping to make the best of the very difficult circumstances and make sure we felt safe and supported until we finally set foot on our flight home. I hope to return one day to visit the places we were unable to see on this occasion.”
In this spirit, we wish for our guests and their families to stay healthy and hope that they will have another opportunity to continue their travels in Chile.