Round Table 1- Work load and Reception Capacity along the French Way
The Way of St. James is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a Cultural Itinerary, consolidated as one of the driving forces behind development in the countryside, especially in Galicia, where almost 44% of the municipalities form part of the routes making up the Way.
The growth experienced by the Way in recent years is reflected by the statistics published by the Pilgrim Office, which show that the number of pilgrims increased by a factor of 2.77 from 2006 to 2016. Although, in comparison, more and more pilgrims are opting for routes other than the French Way, this is still the most popular route (accounting for 63% of pilgrims in 2016).
In view of these figures, some people are warning about the route becoming overcrowded. It is therefore worthwhile reflecting on the scope of this affirmation as well as its present and future consequences, both from the perspective of the physical workload and the perspective of the local population’s reception capacity. While in the opinion of some, these matters only affect certain points or sections of the Way, for others it is a comprehensive problem leading the Way to a progressive loss of identity and spirituality.
This round table will deal with the problem from a public-private point of view, featuring the participation of representatives of different territorial scales. It will analyse the role of the different administrations involved and the tools that exist in order to maintain competitiveness, without overlooking the threat from the proliferation of unregulated tourist activities.
The final objective is detecting and analysing possible deficiencies in providing services and identifying measures to improve the pilgrim’s experience. The results will enable us to propose coordination models and reach conclusions applicable not only to the French Way but also to other routes and Cultural Itineraries.
