OMPT Celebrates World Tourism Journalists Day in Maimará

Maimará was chosen by the World Organization of Tourism Journalism ( Organización Mundial de Periodismo Turístico, OMPT) Celebrates World Tourism Journalists Day in Maimará

Maimará was chosen by the World Organization of Tourism Journalism  to host World Tourism Journalists Day on 5 September, within the framework of the international Fampress gathering, which brings together specialist journalists from multiple countries.

The event centred on this town in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The international delegation arrived aboard the Quebrada Solar Train. Journalists were welcomed by Luis Zerpa, Director of Tourism of Maimará, and his team, together with Rocío Vellón, Communications Officer for the Solar Train, and members of the train‑operation crew.

Arriving by Solar Train offered a firsthand experience of an initiative that links sustainable mobility, tourism and the valley communities. The service connects Volcán, Tumbaya, Purmamarca, Posta de Hornillos, Maimará and Tilcara. Launched in 2024, it has become a fresh way to experience Jujuy’s landscapes. By June 2026, the Solar Train had carried 90 000 passengers.

The Solar Train: A New Way to Explore the Quebrada

Including the Solar Train on the OMPT‑Fampress itinerary showcased one of Jujuy’s tourism‑transformation projects to international journalists. It leverages railway heritage as a gateway to discover landscapes, villages and attractions across the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

For an event dedicated to tourism journalism, the journey carried special meaning: journalists did not merely arrive in Maimará to report on it; they began discovering the place along the way, travelling through a territory where landscape and local communities form the heart of the visitor experience.

Maimará, an Internationally‑Recognised Village

The celebration held extra significance because Maimará was named one of UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages 2025. This international honour recognises rural communities distinguished for their cultural and natural assets, sustainable development and heritage preservation.

Selected among 270 villages from 65 countries, it is the second community in Jujuy to receive the title, after Caspalá. The official UN plaque was presented to the local community in February 2026.

This international award highlights exactly what makes Maimará a one‑of‑a‑kind destination: its scenery, cultural identity, traditions, local production and the deep bond between residents and their land.

La Paleta del Pintor: Symbol of Maimará

One of Maimará’s top attractions is La Paleta del Pintor (the Painter’s Palette), a multicoloured mountain formation, one of the most iconic sights of both the town and the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

Complementing the scenery are local architecture, folk customs, agricultural output, regional cuisine and diverse community‑culture offerings. Maimará has a station on the Solar Train route, integrating it into the valley’s tourist‑rail circuit.

Nearby Posta de Hornillos also features prominently in official regional travel routes. The dramatic valley scenery forms a natural backdrop where culture, nature and local identity are constantly intertwined.

Tourism Journalism: Bringing Destinations into the Spotlight

For OMPT, holding World Tourism Journalist Day in Maimará reaffirmed the value of specialised communication as a responsible tool to promote destinations, communities and travel experiences.

The presence of international journalists in this valley town created direct dialogue between tourism‑media professionals and local practitioners engaged in destination development and promotion.

Hosted by Luis Zerpa’s team, together with Rocío Vellón and the Solar Train crew, the celebration centred on dialogue among journalists, the land and local stakeholders.

Maimará was far more than a stop‑over: it was the venue where tourism journalists from around the globe marked their professional day, in one of the rural destinations recognised by UN Tourism.

The event embodied the spirit of tourism journalism: to travel, to observe, to listen to communities, and to tell the world a destination’s authentic story from the ground.OMPT) to host World Tourism Journalist Day on 5 September, within the framework of the international Fampress gathering, which brings together specialist journalists from multiple countries.

The event centred on this town in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The international delegation arrived aboard the Quebrada Solar Train. Journalists were welcomed by Luis Zerpa, Director of Tourism of Maimará, and his team, together with Rocío Vellón, Communications Officer for the Solar Train, and members of the train‑operation crew.

Arriving by Solar Train offered a firsthand experience of an initiative that links sustainable mobility, tourism and the valley communities. The service connects Volcán, Tumbaya, Purmamarca, Posta de Hornillos, Maimará and Tilcara. Launched in 2024, it has become a fresh way to experience Jujuy’s landscapes. By June 2026, the Solar Train had carried 90 000 passengers.

The Solar Train: A New Way to Explore the Quebrada

Including the Solar Train on the OMPT‑Fampress itinerary showcased one of Jujuy’s tourism‑transformation projects to international journalists. It leverages railway heritage as a gateway to discover landscapes, villages and attractions across the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

For an event dedicated to tourism journalism, the journey carried special meaning: journalists did not merely arrive in Maimará to report on it; they began discovering the place along the way, travelling through a territory where landscape and local communities form the heart of the visitor experience.

Maimará, an Internationally‑Recognised Village

The celebration held extra significance because Maimará was named one of UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages 2025. This international honour recognises rural communities distinguished for their cultural and natural assets, sustainable development and heritage preservation.

Selected among 270 villages from 65 countries, it is the second community in Jujuy to receive the title, after Caspalá. The official UN plaque was presented to the local community in February 2026.

This international award highlights exactly what makes Maimará a one‑of‑a‑kind destination: its scenery, cultural identity, traditions, local production and the deep bond between residents and their land.

La Paleta del Pintor: Symbol of Maimará

One of Maimará’s top attractions is La Paleta del Pintor (the Painter’s Palette), a multicoloured mountain formation, one of the most iconic sights of both the town and the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

Complementing the scenery are local architecture, folk customs, agricultural output, regional cuisine and diverse community‑culture offerings. Maimará has a station on the Solar Train route, integrating it into the valley’s tourist‑rail circuit.

Nearby Posta de Hornillos also features prominently in official regional travel routes. The dramatic valley scenery forms a natural backdrop where culture, nature and local identity are constantly intertwined.

Tourism Journalism: Bringing Destinations into the Spotlight

For OMPT, holding World Tourism Journalist Day in Maimará reaffirmed the value of specialised communication as a responsible tool to promote destinations, communities and travel experiences.

The presence of international journalists in this valley town created direct dialogue between tourism‑media professionals and local practitioners engaged in destination development and promotion.

Hosted by Luis Zerpa’s team, together with Rocío Vellón and the Solar Train crew, the celebration centred on dialogue among journalists, the land and local stakeholders.

Maimará was far more than a stop‑over: it was the venue where tourism journalists from around the globe marked their professional day, in one of the rural destinations recognised by UN Tourism.

The event embodied the spirit of tourism journalism: to travel, to observe, to listen to communities, and to tell the world a destination’s authentic story from the ground.