Dominican Today journalist wins Pasaporte Abierto 2024 award, Dominican Republic receives multiple honors

Buga, Colombia.– Adrian R. Morales, a journalist from Dominican Today, was a winner at the 8th edition of the Pasaporte Abierto 2024 International Tourism Journalism Awards, held on September 6 in Buga, Colombia. Other Dominican professionals also received awards and recognitions.

The award, for which the Dominican Republic had 13 nominations —including journalists, specialized media, institutions, experiences, and destinations— is sponsored by the World Organization of Tourism Journalism (OMPT). The awards ceremony took place at the Hotel Guadalajara in Buga as part of World Tourism Journalist Day.

Adrian R. Morales won in the category Recognition of Others for his article Short-statured Dominicans: navigating vacations in non-inclusive environments, published in Dominican Today. The article had previously been a finalist in the national tourism journalism award Epifanio Lantigua, sponsored by the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (Adompretur).

Receiving the award on behalf of Morales, communicator Yenny Polanco Lovera, president of Adompretur, congratulated him and emphasized that it doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you fight for what you are passionate about: “Adrian Morales, a Dominican journalist of Cuban origin, has shown that you can advocate for responsible tourism. That has also been part of Pasaporte Abierto and the World Organization of Tourism Journalism — where any of us, journalist or tourism entrepreneur, can feel at home and do their work. So congratulations to him and to the Dominican Republic.”

Other Dominicans who took home trophies include Karla Alcántara Cruz, in the category Social Relevance, for her article Between challenges and potential ecotourism destinations: Espaillat explores community-based tourism, published in Acento; and Sergio Cid Solano, in the category Originality, for his series The future of tourism, published in Forbes Dominican Republic.

Due to the quality of their work, other Dominican representatives were also recognized: Juan de Dios Valentín, for his article Luminarias: prodigious hands that continue to transform and brighten the world, published in Foodieandtraveler.com; and the tourism-specialized media outlets Párate Ahí Tours and Revista Plus Magazine.

This year, the Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Javier Pedernera from Argentina, while the Grand Pasaporte Abierto Award was granted in three categories: Campos do Jordão of Brazil, chosen by the audience present; Gonçalves Turismo of Brazil, selected via social media; and Viva Misiones of Argentina, chosen by the jury.

During the event, Miguel Ledhesma, founding president of OMPT, and Kevin Casanova, general director, shared two announcements: the inclusion of a new category, Emerging Tourism Destination, in line with the newly established Global Network of Emerging Tourism Destinations, and the venue for Pasaporte Abierto 2025, which will be held for the first time in two countries: Colombia (in San Juan de Pasto, Nariño) and Ecuador.

Inspired by the famous Gato del Río or Tejada’s Cat, the statuette awarded to the winners is one of the most iconic sculptures of Cali. The piece embodies the artistic and cultural spirit of the region, and what makes it special is the mopa-mopa or barniz de Pasto technique, a traditional craft from southern Colombia. This technique, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2020, adds unmatched cultural value to the statuette.

Since its inception, the Pasaporte Abierto International Awards have celebrated diversity, innovation, and social responsibility in tourism journalism, with one of its goals being to leave a lasting legacy that grows with each new edition.

Find the complete list of Pasaporte Abierto 2024 winners on the Periodismoturistico.org website.