In its fourteenth edition, the Periplo festival has announced its awards, which recognize the work of those who understand travel as a form of knowledge, encounter, and transformation. The jury distinguished writer and journalist Lola Escudero, Librería Altaïr, and Matilde Perera, the municipal librarian of Puerto de la Cruz, in an event celebrating three distinct ways of approaching the world through words.
The mayor of Puerto de la Cruz, Leopoldo Afonso, stated that the awards recognize "people and projects that help us understand other realities and better comprehend the world we share." He noted that the career of Lola Escudero, the dedication of Librería Altaïr, and the work of Matilde Perera share a common denominator: "bringing books closer to people and making reading an opportunity for connection."
The first award honored the career of Lola Escudero, a geographer and journalist specializing in cultural and tourism communication. Escudero directs Communication for Lonely Planet Spain and GeoPlaneta, is responsible for Lonely Planet's weekly travel section in El País, and is part of the Patronato of the Spanish Geographical Foundation. She has also promoted reference projects like the Festival El viaje y sus Culturas and presented ‘El viaje hecho relato’ at the festival.
The second recognition went to Librería Altaïr in Barcelona, distinguished as one of the most relevant European cultural projects dedicated to understanding the world through travel. Founded and directed by Pilar Rubio Remiro, Altaïr is the largest specialized travel literature bookstore in Europe and an essential reference point for travelers, readers, and authors. The bookstore also collaborates with the Altaïr Travel Literature Award, which brought its winner, Valentín Carrera, to the festival.
The third award, with a deeply local and emotional character, was presented to Matilde Perera, the municipal librarian of Puerto de la Cruz, in her retirement year. As head of the Tomás de Iriarte Municipal Library, Perera has been key in the relationship between the festival and the community, facilitating access to books. The Councillor for Culture, Desiré Díaz, highlighted her dedication and the "encounters around books."
The festival's closing on Sunday, October 25th, will feature the presentation of the book by Binta Claire Sy, who will recount her journey to the Canary Islands, and the conversation ‘Peace Journalism: journalism and cooperation against oblivion’, with representatives from the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, journalist Rosa María Calaf, and Nicolás Castellano.
