Days after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook the country on August 10, most of the national territory is operating normally to receive tourists. According to the airport status map prepared as of August 18, only three airports remain closed due to damage: Armenia (El Edén), Cartago (Santa Ana), and Cali (Alfonso Bonilla Aragón) categorized as “humanitarian attention focus, not tourist.” Two other airports, Pereira (Matecaña) and Buenaventura (Gerardo Tovar López), operate with controlled disruptions, while the rest of the country’s airports, from San Andrés to Leticia, function normally.
In this situation, the Colombian Association of Responsible Tourism (Acotur) issued a statement inviting travelers to continue with their plans to the enabled destinations. “Where conditions allow tourism operations to continue, the call is to maintain travel and support local entrepreneurs as a way to contribute to the recovery of the regions”, said Laura Durana, executive president of Acotur.
Check the airport status map in this PDF
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National airport status
The situation in the territories
The association highlighted that the impact varies according to the conditions of each municipality and each tourism company. According to its own monitoring among members in affected areas, 63.6% reported operating normally, 18.2% operate partially, and 9.1% do so with restrictions. Therefore, Acotur recommends verifying directly with each operator before making travel decisions, rather than assuming an entire region is out of operation.
It is striking that Quibdó (El Caraño), the airport closest to the epicenter of the earthquake in San José del Palmar, Chocó, appears to be operating normally on the map, which contrasts with the magnitude of the earthquake that affected the region and reinforces the association’s call not to generalize the status of a department based on the most affected area.
The association’s call urges prioritizing local consumption (accommodations, restaurants, community experiences, and artisanal products), so that tourist spending reaches the communities in need. Mauricio Ossa, leader of the Avitourism chapter of Acotur in Quindío, one of the departments with airports affected in its nearby environment, was emphatic: “The best way to support the Coffee Axis is to come, get to know it, and fall in love with it. Here we remain with open doors”.
The initiative focuses on the campaign “Together for Colombia”, with which the association seeks an “informed, responsible, and resilient” reactivation of tourism in the country.
