Santo Domingo.- In a gala that was no stranger to surprises, the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (Adompretur) recognized, through the Epifanio Lantigua 2023 Awards, “the valuable informative content that journalists contribute through their coverage of one of the most thriving and dynamic sectors of the Dominican economy, tourism,” according to a press release issued by the association.
The 19th edition brought together the written and audiovisual works of 29 journalists from different parts of the country, who submitted reports to compete in eight regional and thematic categories. The vast majority of the nominated works focused more on tourism promotion than on criticism and proposed solutions.
According to Yenny Polanco Lovera, president of Adompretur, “tonight we reward journalists and communicators who invest their time in highlighting the beauties of tourism, the existing needs and, why not, the exposure of irregularities in the sector to make them visible to the authorities, always adhering to the ethics and duty of the tourism journalist”.
Journalist Mayelin Acosta, from Hoy newspaper, was this year’s Grand Winner with a series of reports “questioning tourism development in the protected area of Saona Island,” in addition to receiving an award in the category of Written Press for her work.
The prize includes a monetary award of 85,000 pesos to the Grand Winner, as well as a trophy and a parchment. The other winners in each category also receive the latter two and 50,000 pesos, while the honorable mentions receive a certificate.
Award for lifetime achievement
Adompretur also recognized communicator Ellis Pérez and the Santiago journalist Yomaris Gómez with the award for lifetime achievement.
During a brief speech at the event, Pérez expressed his gratitude for the award and recalled the work of Epifanio Lantigua, a journalist who, through his work on Puerto Plata, saw the impact of journalism in the promotion of tourism and was a visionary in specializing in this area.
He urged communicators to “take care” of tourism as a “product” that has positioned the country nationally and internationally, and to which it owes a good part of its development. “What we have here, what we offer requires a particular care that we do not always give. It is up to us, as communicators, to bring that to the attention,” he emphasized.
Yomaris Gómez said she felt a “great satisfaction” for what she has been able to contribute to this sector, and thanked colleagues and allies in the private sector with whom she has tried to “promote our country” abroad.
Journalism and the complementary offer
During his speech, the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos, recognized the role that journalism has played in the promotion of tourism, stressing that it has been thanks to their efforts that in communication, importance was given to specialization in this subject. “They understood the role of the tourism press, they have specialized it and it has paid off,” he highlighted.
Likewise, he pointed out that journalistic coverage has helped to raise awareness of the sector’s importance in the Dominican economy and to offer quality information to tourists, who rely on reading the local press to find complementary offers and to have a critical vision of the next destinations they will visit.
However, as usual in the PEL, the vast majority of the awarded works had to do with tourism promotion, leaving behind once again the critical journalism for which Tony Pérez himself, president of the jury, and Salvador Batista, director for the Dominican Republic in 2023 of the World Organization of Tourism Journalism (WTJO) –and Adompretur’s Vice President–, have advocated repeatedly.
For more details and the complete list of winners, visit Adompretur’s official website.
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