PEL 2025 Gala tonight! Adompretur leadership emphasizes critical, sustainable tourism journalism

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic’s most prestigious honor, the Epifanio Lantigua National Tourism Journalism Award (PEL) 2025, is set for its grand ceremony tonight, Tuesday, October 28th, at the Sheraton Santo Domingo Hotel. As the country celebrates the best in its sector, the leadership of Adompretur is sending a clear, unified message: tourism journalism must prioritize critical analysis and sustainable development over mere promotion.

This year, over 50 journalists and communicators vie for the award across 10 categories, with 115 entries submitted from 41 media outlets. From veteran reporters at El Caribe, Revista Bohío, and Hoy to emerging voices on digital platforms, the competition showcases the depth and passion driving the coverage of the Dominican tourism sector. 

The new narrative: beyond the postcard

The call for rigor comes directly from the association’s top ranks. Adompretur President Sarah Hernández has signaled a pivotal change in how Dominican tourism is covered and awarded, focusing on analysis over simple description.

In a recent, highly-anticipated interview with Revista Bohío, Hernández detailed her vision for evolving the PEL Award’s criteria, stating that tourism must be analyzed in its “full complexity”—as an economic, social, cultural, and environmental phenomenon. Hernández made it clear that while inspiring narrative will remain valuable, the association plans to actively incentivize deeper analysis.

An excerpt from Adompretur President Sarah Hernández’s interview, as featured in Revista Bohío.

She committed to translating this vision into concrete action for future PEL editions: “We propose revising the award criteria to include clearer standards on investigation, source use, critical analysis, and contributions to understanding the sector’s challenges,” she stated.

This push for deeper journalism is strongly backed by Adompretur Vice President Millizen Uribe, who also serves as President of the PEL Organizing Committee. Speaking to Super7FM in September, Uribe previously stressed the need for self-criticism within the profession, particularly when promoting sustainable growth.

“While tourism crónica naturally covers the blessings and beauties of the Dominican Republic, we must also employ self-critical journalism,” Uribe stated. “This means leveraging our communication power to ensure development is sustainable, respects nature, and is inclusive, guaranteeing fair community participation. Crucially, that critical perspective is unique to journalists and is often absent in others, such as influencers.” 

Adompretur Vice President Millizen Uribe, who recently advocated for critical and sustainable coverage in tourism journalism during an interview with Super7fm.

Furthermore, Adompretur’s strategy under Hernández’s leadership focuses on formation, verification, and collaboration to combat misinformation. She announced plans for continuous training emphasizing the responsible use of language and the interpretation of data, particularly when addressing sensitive issues like health, safety, and the environment.

A night of recognition: categories highlight diversity

Tonight’s awards cover a broad spectrum of media, reflecting the diverse ways journalists capture the nation’s appeal. Entries span categories including: Written Press, Audiovisual (Documentary, TV Report, YouTube), Digital Press, Printed Magazine, Art & Culture, Gastronomy, Photography, Regional Tourism, Ecotourism, and Opinion Journalism.

A distinguished jury, led by master journalist Tony Pérez, has selected the winners across all categories and the recipient of the highly-coveted ‘Gran Premio’ (Grand Prize). The ceremony, starting at 6:30 p.m., will also include a special recognition for a media outlet selected for its outstanding coverage of the tourism sector.

As the curtain rises tonight, the PEL 2025 not only celebrates excellence in tourism journalism but also marks a shift toward more rigorous coverage of the country’s most vital sector.