Clúster

The final figure exceeded the Xunta’s forecasts by 40,000 visitors.

The continuation of the Holy Year Xacobeo 21-22 has started with good news for the Galician tourism sector. The closing of the data of the compostelas sealed in the Pilgrim’s Office of the International Pilgrim Welcome Centre has confirmed the recovery of the Way of St. James as a major gateway to Galicia, since the nearly 180,000 pilgrims who have completed the procedure that officially attests to have traveled some of the routes to Santiago have allowed to exceed by 40,000 the number of visitors expected by those responsible for the Xunta.

This figure is still far from the 350,000 pilgrims reached in 2019, but taking into account the restrictions on mobility because of the covid that were in force until April last year and the difficulties that still continue to have pilgrims from other countries, confirms the reactivation of the Camino and makes face with good prospects the second part of this exceptional biannual Xacobeo. From the Xunta highlight, moreover, that although 70% of these pilgrims have come from the national level, during the last months of 2021 has also seen an increase in the number of international walkers. Portugal, with 5%; Italy, with 4%, and Germany and the United States, with more than 3%, have been the most repeated countries of origin among these visitors.

As for the routes, the French Way has returned to be the route chosen by most pilgrims (98,200, representing 55% of the total), followed by the Portuguese Way and the variant of the Coast with 42,000 compostelas sealed; the English Way, with 11,000; the Primitive Way, with 10,100, and the Northern Way, with 9,600.

The Xunta attributes the improvement of these data and the figures of the Galician tourism sector as a whole to the various actions developed during 2021 to promote the recovery of tourism, including the Master Plan Galicia Safe Destination developed in collaboration with the Galicia Tourism Cluster and the three Galician universities.