Santo Domingo.- Specialized media in Latin America and the Caribbean is stepping away from traditional destination marketing to embrace a more rigorous, socially grounded model. Closing out the First International Tourism Journalism Forum on Friday, October 23, the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (Adompretur) and participating journalists formally adopted the Santo Domingo Declaration on Tourism Journalism and Communication, a landmark manifesto establishing ten binding principles for the industry.
The adoption took place at the Hotel Dominican Fiesta in Santo Domingo against the backdrop of the 30th anniversary of the Caribbean Tourism Exchange (BTC). Guided by the overarching motto “Count, Connect, and Transform,” the declaration outlines an ambitious framework designed to balance technological acceleration with ethical standards, environmental stewardship, and community impact.
Rethinking newsrooms in the age of algorithms
Rather than relying on polished brochures or uncritical promotional copy, the manifesto insists that travel coverage must investigate the broader economic, social, and cultural footprint of tourism. Adompretur president Sarah Hernández emphasized that the document reflects a collective commitment to elevated professional standards and heritage protection.
“This declaration expresses the resolve to foster a tourism journalism capable of reporting with rigor, telling our peoples’ stories with sensitivity, and contributing to a model of tourism that generates real opportunity while protecting our heritage,” Hernández stated.
The text establishes a clear stance on emerging digital workflows, particularly artificial intelligence. While encouraging newsrooms to adopt technological tools to streamline data analysis and expand outreach, the framework strictly mandates that algorithms remain subordinate to human verification, source checking, and editorial oversight. Crucially, the charter also demands an unyielding boundary between objective news reporting and sponsored commercial content.
The ten pillars of the Santo Domingo Declaration
To guide newsrooms and industry stakeholders through this transition, the manifesto outlines ten core commitments:
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Editorial ethics and independence: strict fact-checking, unyielding editorial independence, and a clear distinction between objective journalism and sponsored advertising.
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Continuous education: ongoing training in specialized fields like tourism economics, data analysis, territorial planning, and environmental sustainability.
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Responsible AI adoption: integration of digital tools and artificial intelligence as investigative support, while keeping human judgment and editorial accountability at the center.
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Truthful communication and transparency: guaranteed access to public records on tourism investments, infrastructure spending, and policy outcomes.
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Sustainability and local communities: prioritizing environmental protection and positioning host communities as the central protagonists of tourism development.
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Support for domestic and rural tourism: spotlighting emerging local destinations and cultural routes while exposing the infrastructure and connectivity gaps they face.
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Regional media cooperation: building strong alliances between press associations across Latin America and the Caribbean through collaborative reporting and resource sharing.
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Digital narratives without fluff: leveraging transmedia formats and digital platforms to widen reach without sacrificing investigative depth or factual accuracy.
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Multi-destination integration: promoting regional itineraries and shared stories that connect neighboring countries through cultural and historic ties.
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Regional solidarity with Haiti: fostering respectful, stereotype-free coverage that acknowledges Haiti’s long-term potential for sustainable tourism once stability and safety permit.
Regional bridges, community focus, and honors
The manifesto expands its scope well beyond national borders to promote multi-destination itineraries across Latin America and the Caribbean, encouraging joint reporting projects and cross-border association networks. It also embeds a notable message of regional solidarity, advocating for stereotyping-free coverage that recognizes Haiti’s long-term potential for sustainable tourism development once baseline conditions of stability and safety are met.
On the domestic front, the text calls for greater transparency regarding public spending on infrastructure and demands increased visibility for community-led initiatives in emerging regional destinations. The final drafting process drew on insights from international delegates Armando de la Garza (Mexico) and Fernando Milo (Argentina), as well as prominent Dominican analysts and regional branch leaders representing centers like Puerto Plata, Pedernales, Samaná, and Peravia.
To mark the closing ceremony, Adompretur presented a special lifetime recognition to BTC president Luis Felipe Aquino in honor of the trade fair’s 30th anniversary and his sustained contributions to regional tourism integration—capping an event that repositions travel journalism as an active driver of regional development.