Case Study 5 Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage Route Location: Feeder routes emerging throughout Western Europe, leading towards the North-Western Spanish town of Santiago de Compostela. The most popular segment of the route traverses seven provinces in northern Spain. Timeline: 1962–Present Background The Camino de Santiago is a major Christian walking pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of the apostle Saint James are said to be buried. This route, known as a linear tourist product has existed for over a thousand years and was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times. Its use had since declined until the late 1980s, when it began attracting a growing number of modern-day pilgrims and tourists from around the globe. In 1987 it was declared the first European Cultural Route and gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1993. Today the route attracts millions of travelers, with the majority (54.5%) walking the route for non-religious reasons (culture, tourism, sport)1. The majority of pilgrims are Spanish (53.4% in Pilgrims Receiving the Compostela in Santiago (1986-2011) 1 2011 compared to 70% in the late 1990s) with 300000 Germans (9%) and Italians (6%) predominant Number of Travellers 250000 among the remainder2. The trend of increasing 200000 international and leisure visitors shows that an 150000 initial focus on developing products and 100000 infrastructure for local and regional travelers 50000 can be successfully expanded to other 0 1994 2004 1986 1988 1990 1992 1996 1998 2000 2002 2006 2008 2010 segments by market forces. Year Infrastructure and Enabling Environment The Camino is well maintained with an efficient signage system along more than 850 km. Its maintenance and standardization are coordinated by a network of civil society organizations, such as the ‘Friends of the Camino’ association, which provides informative booklets, organizes discussions and links grassroots actors along the route. Spain’s decentralized tourism model and public grants program has encouraged and funded the creation of community-based action groups along the route as well as a network of homestay accommodation. To receive the official certificate3, authorities require pilgrims to walk the last 100km of the Camino, declare spiritual motivation and carry a Credencial (pilgrim passport), which collects stamps from each 1 The spikes in visitation occur during holy years. Only pilgrims receiving certificates are recorded, total visitor numbers are significantly higher. Official Statistics of Pilgrimages to Santiago, Office of Pilgrim Reception, 2012 2 Present-Day Pilgrimage, The Confraternity of Saint James, 2012 3 The certificate of pilgrimage completion is administered by the Church and is utilized as a regulation and statistical tool as well 1 stage and entitles users to a bed in Spanish refugios. This has aided in distinguishing pilgrims from tourists, the majority of which don’t receive a certificate. A network of free and cheap lodging in homestays, hostels, monasteries and even town halls has been developed by groups affiliated with the camino for the pilgrims, some restricted to those holding the Credencial. The influx of visitors during holy years are planned years in advance to ensure well-managed tourism flows. The Camino Frances portion4 has traditionally seen the highest concentration of users (72.3%), which has helped in a cycle of positive reinforcement with it developing quality walkways, published guides and accommodation leading to a further increase in crowds. Links with urban planning and living standards The route’s end-point, the city of Santiago de Compostela draws over 6 million annual travelers5. Tourism growth has acted as a catalyst to integrate the city’s modern expansion into its historical spaces and manage the overwhelming influx of visitors during holy years and peak-seasons. It has formed a Consortium of Santiago, based on non-partisan cooperation between regional and central governments, local administrations, the tourism ministry and the church in order to manage the development plans. This resulted in its 1989 General Plan of Urban Development, addressing issues of city growth, zoning and historical center preservation. The city now serves as a model for the development and planning of other cities along the route. Promotion, Coordination and Institutional Arrangements The European Institute of Cultural Routes is the intra-regional coordinative body, contributing maps, a common emblem, public & private stakeholder coordination and guidance to the The European Institute of Cultural Camino. Routes is a body established to help the Council of Europe coordinate the development of routes. It nominates minor On a national level, Spain’s tourism authority, TurEspaña and major cultural routes such as a develops promotional campaigns for the route while Medieval Monasteries Route, the Viking coordinating with its provincial governments to promote their Route and the Central-European Iron Trail. attributes. Individual towns each have their own marketing plans and budgets, with the regional government agency, The institute provides grant funding TurGalicia, responsible for the overall coordination and macro- between US$ 1-6 million for the planning, institutional development of management promotion of the route in Spain. arrangements, upgrading of tourism infrastructure and the enabling This arrangement helped the Government of Galicia (where environment for new routes. The Camino Santiago de Compostela is located) to associate itself with the was the first route nominated by the image of the Camino, attracting 4 million tourists in 1993 after institute. its Holy Year promotional campaign, and generating an estimated US$ 5.8 billion for the region6. This 1993 campaign, publicizing free hostels and organizing a wide array of cultural events revitalized the route and marked a turning point for its contemporary image and utilization. 4 The camino has many feeder routes stretching from as far as Eastern Europe, with the Camino Frances beginning at the Spanish-French border near the Pyrenees Mountains. 5 Cultural Route Tourism: The Case of El Camino de Santiago, 2006 6 TurGalicia, 2005 2 Results • Increased employment and standards of living: There is a strong relationship between cultural tourism promotion and the rehabilitation of city centers around the Camino, as well as the increase in cultural offerings to residents such as museums, auditoriums, sports facilities and parks7. According to a recent EU study, the route has increased SME generation, clustering and product innovation8. • Improved cultural asset management through the formation of associations and volunteer groups as well as cooperative agreements and connections between local, state, national and regional bodies. • Increased understanding and transformative individual experiences of pilgrims are unquantifiable but invaluable to human wellbeing, as this route is often undertaken at key transitional times in life. Critical Success Factors The Benefits of Tourism Routes • A major driver for the Camino is its relative Routes provide product development opportunities proximity to major domestic and regional tourism while repackaging existing experiences. They are markets, with 90% of visitors being either domestic especially relevant for less mature areas with high or regional, and with two of the world’s major cultural resources appealing to special-interest source markets- Germany and the UK being only 2-3 tourists, which often spend more and stay longer. Routes can lead to the development of local hours away by plane. This circumstance mirrors that enterprises, increasing the demand for goods and of South Asian circuits, being located between what services. are set to become two of the world’s largest source markets- India and China. Successful route development includes: • A decentralized, empowering political environment • Cooperation networks, regional thinking and and the availability of specialized funding leadership • Coordinated product development, mechanisms, especially at the local and regional infrastructure and access levels plays in important role in its tourism • Community participation, micro-enterprise development and planning, with the involvement of development and innovation local administrations and the private sector being • Information dissemination and promotion crucial. The Camino’s unique cultural assets and • An explicit pro-poor focus scenery have retained its competitive advantage over the years. Source: Meyer (2004) Issues and Challenges • Overcrowding and visitor concentration on key routes minimizes the dispersal of benefits • Commoditization of culture due to the shift from religions to leisure motivations • Waste and water management strains in urban areas during holy years and summer influxes Key Considerations for the World Bank The route infrastructure has slowly evolved over a thousand years of use and with it the development of civil society groups, institutions and mechanisms to manage it. However, the last 20 years has seen an exponential influx of visitors, thus requiring the accelerated development of infrastructure, management plans and institutions. 7 The Underpinnings for Successful Route Tourism Development in South Africa, Marlien Lourens, 2007 8 Impact of European Cultural Routes on SME Innovation and Competitiveness, Council of Europe, n.d. 3 The South Asian circuits are currently where the Camino was 20 years ago, with a recent boom in tourism requiring the accelerated development of destinations. South Asian circuits can learn from the Camino example of decentralized planning, coordinated infrastructure provision and promotion and utilize targeted donor assistance to aid in effectively developing its circuits. Chronology of Institutional Milestones for Santiago de Compostela and the Camino 4