The NAT’s future event, to be held in 2020 in Santiago de Compostela, will consist of a conference on the possible ways of managing sustainable tourism in the EU and a meeting between regional and local representatives of the CoR

At today’s meeting of the NAT there was also a general debate on the consequences of mass tourism in Europe and its impact on regional and local communities in Europe

Brussels, 16 September 2019

In 2020, Galicia will host a meeting of the Committee of the Regions on the Way of Saint James as a different tourism model in Europe. This resulted from a vote that took place today in Brussels, in which Galicia was competing against a proposal by the German city of Wismar, capital of North-West Mecklenburg. After a general vote fraught with uncertainty, the members of the CoR finally chose Galicia, which will highlight the European character of our community as the final stage of the Way of Saint James and strengthen ties within the European Union, based on the values of solidarity and harmony.

Jesús Gamallo, the managing director of Foreign Affairs and EU Relations announced that the Galician proposal of external activities will consist of a meeting of the CoR’s members, along with a conference on the possible models of sustainable tourism in the EU, with the Camino de Santiago as a representative case within this economic sector. Both of these activities are scheduled to take place during the first half of 2020 in Santiago de Compostela. Gamallo contended the relevance of the Galician proposal before the other European local and regional representatives, as it directly relates to the work programme and policy priorities of the NAT and of the Committee of the Regions itself regarding the challenge of sustainable tourism.

For the Galician Government, the Way of Saint James sets a good example for other European regions and cities searching for a tourism model that can combine economic development and competitiveness with the sustainability of natural resources and heritage, functioning as the structuring element for regional culture and social and geographic cohesion. In addition, the director general also stressed that the development of new models of tourism must go hand in hand with progressive digitalisation and innovation, in order to achieve an attractive, competitive and sustainable touristic offer.

In this vein, the Xunta de Galicia will organise the NAT meeting on the Way of Saint James in 2020 and on other possible avenues for sustainable tourism in the cities and regions of the EU, as a prelude to the 2021 Xacobeo project. Within two years, the 2021 Xacobeo will celebrate the Jacobean Holy Year in Galicia to, amongst other things, highlight and promote the cultural, natural, human and business wealth of the Way of Saint James; publicise the cultural Jacobean route’s heritage; promote the revitalisation of rural areas crossed by the Way; and invite dialogue on this great European cultural route.

Debate on the current state of the tourism sector in the European Union
The debate, which opened the fourth annual meeting of the NAT, is entitled ‘Tourism: new trends, challenges and solutions’. It was introduced by the chairman of the NAT, Finnish politician Ossi Martikainen. Various members of the CoR, representatives of the Directorate General (DG GROW) of the European Commission and the president of the Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (NECSTouR) of which Galicia is a part, also participated.

This general debate on European tourism served as a focal point for the existing worry in both regional and local EU administrations as well as in the European Committee of the Regions itself about the widespread increase of European tourism. Specifically, worry about the significant pressure placed on infrastructure, natural resources and capacity of local communities to welcome, year after year, millions of international tourists. This situation is leading to some of the most popular European destinations (Venice, Bruges, Dubrovnik…) to increasingly take measures to protect their landscapes, monuments and local populations.

For this reason, NAT decided to hold this debate in order to discuss the question of sustainability in the European tourism industry and its impact on local communities and regional authorities across the EU. This area of work of the European Committee of the Regions regarding the possible forms of sustainable tourism ties in with a document published by the EU Council in May that indicates that tourism is one of the core sectors of the European economy, with an increasingly positive impact on economic growth, regional development and employment across Europe. This is because the tourism sector represents close to 10% of the Union’s GDP and 12 million jobs. In fact, the European Union is the first tourist destination in the world, with a share of over 40% of the world market in 2018.

The European Committee of the Regions’ NAT Commission
In this mandate, Galicia participates both in the Committee on Natural Resources (NAT) as well as the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX). CoR’s NAT addresses topics such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), rural development, forestry, food production, the common fisheries policy or maritime affairs policy, among other topics.

The Committee of the Regions is the consultative assembly in which local and regional authorities in the European Union are represented. The representative member of the Autonomous Community of Galicia is the president of the Xunta de Galicia, while the post of alternate member is held by the director general of Foreign Affairs and EU Relations.

In celebration of the General Assembly of Poland’s Friends of the Way of St James, this exhibition is shown in Wroclaw, and will later go on to Krakow and Tarnowskie Góry. The exhibition allows you to learn about the Way of St James through striking photographs and audiovisual pieces that accompany them and artist Manuel Valcárcel is achieving great success and international recognition.

The pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela allows the pilgrim to find themselves, but it also allows them to meet other pilgrims, who can accompany them on the route. They come into contact with the local population and the spectacular concept of a universal and open Way that was always understood as a sacred space. At the end of this physical and spiritual adventure, pilgrims will see the city of Santiago and its cathedral, with the journey culminating in a visit to the tomb of Apostle Saint James the Greater and an embrace with the altar image. The suggested additional part of the journey to Europe’s ‘end of the world’ (Cabo Fisterra) is fundamental in understanding the mentality of medieval pilgrims. It is a place of great significance that is usually visited after completing the pilgrimage to the tomb of St James.

Location: Centrum Duszpasterskie Archidiecezji Wrocławskiej
ul. Katedralna 4, Wroclaw. Poland
Dates: from 21st to 30th September
Schedule of visits: Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 20:00 and Saturday from 08:00 to 16:00.
Organisers: Xacobeo 2021.Turismo de Galicia. Xunta de Galicia

The programming for the Experience the Camino initiative, intended to promote and highlight the English Route and the Fisterra–Muxía Route, will bring music and theatre to the streets and squares of the 27 municipalities that make up these pilgrimage routes of the Way of St. James in the province of A Coruña. Experience the Camino will spread the spirit of the pilgrimage through the performing arts and music during the months of August and September.

The activities will be accompanied by a travelling exhibition about these two routes.

Dous no Camiño (Two on the Camino) is a performance by Fran Rei and Isabel Risco, directed by Avelino González from the text by Roi Vidal and Xurxo Barcala. It depicts two pilgrims walking and discovering the different spots along the English Route and the Fisterra–Muxía Route as they pass through each of the towns on the way. In addition, along the same lines as Dous no Camiño, Fran Rei and Isabel Risco will present another performance, created and directed by them, in municipalities and at some pilgrim hostels, in which they will interact with citizens and people doing the pilgrimage in each location. In this performance, Athanasius and Theodore, the two disciples of St. James who transported his remains to Galicia by sea, find themselves lost following a journey through time lasting several centuries. They are surprised by the elements of modern life they find, while at the same time discovering that the essential aspects of the Way of St. James – its natural surroundings, scenery and monuments – have not changed.

Adding a musical touch to the programme will be the group Caxade, a personal folk–pop project of Alonso Caxade.

Click here for programming on the English Route!

Click here for programming on the Fisterra–Muxía Route!

Nearly 32,000 people have visited the interpretation centres on the Way of St James so far this year.

Galicia has four such centres spread out in the provinces of Lugo and A Coruña, located on three of the existing routes: the French Route, whose centre is in Cebreiro; the North Route, with the centre in Mondoñedo; and the Primitive Route, whose centre is in Lugo.

Rounding out this information service are the new facilities located at the end of the pilgrimage, in Santiago de Compostela, as part of the features of the International Pilgrim Welcome Centre.

This type of interpretation centre, managed by Turismo de Galicia through the Xacobeo, provide a huge added value to the pilgrimage experience by offering pilgrims support, information and additional content that helps them to understand and learn more about the Way of St James in general, and the route they are walking in particular. They do so from the various perspectives present on the route and that help to enhance them.

The Way of St James interpretation centre in Cebreiro, at the emblematic point where the French Route enters the province, hosted the most visitors, already in excess of 12,000. It is this route that is most travelled by pilgrims, accounting for 60% of all walkers. The facility in Lugo received over 6,300 visitors, and the one in Mondoñedo close to 3,200. Finally, over 10,000 visited the International Pilgrim Welcome Centre, near the Plaza del Obradoiro, a location where Turismo de Galicia has set up spaces where pilgrims can receive advice on how to continue their stay in the region after reaching Compostela.

A summer of new features and improvements

Every centre is located on routes that have been declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO, routes that like all the other itineraries, are constantly being improved under the Master and Strategic Plan of the Way of St James. As we look forward to Xacobeo 2021, numerous initiatives are already underway involving things like route maintenance, signposting and safety, enhancement of heritage values, increased accessibility and environmental sustainability and promoting Xacobean research and culture.

Recent weeks have seen the launch of numerous projects, like the pools in the Monte del Gozo Park, which are free all summer long for all visitors, and the new shelter in A Fonsagrada, following the remodelling of a historic building. The Public Network of Shelters also debuted accessible tactile signs for the blind and visually impaired. All of these initiatives have been extended to the Portuguese Route, its variant along the coast, to the English Route, to the Via de la Plata, the Muxia-Fisterra Route and to the Winter Route.

2017 Saint James Trail Run

One Ultra Trail (150km), 3 long or medium distance races (45km, 20km and 13km) and a 45km hike along the Saint James Ways in the Namur Province, all finishing on the Namur Citadel.

Trail running races: 4 distances finishing in Namur on 24 September

23/09 and 24/09 : 150km starting from Vresse-sur-Semois, ITRA certified
24/09 : 13km, 25 km and 45km starting from Floreffe, Godinne and Dinant

Hike : 23-24/09 : two-day hike in the Saint James spirit starting from Dinant (45km). Arrival in Namur.

23/09 : evening party in Godinne (paëlla + Flamenco) and overnight stay in a dormitory.

Beyond the sporty side, the FTPN wishes the event to be an occasion to discover the region in convivial atmosphere (tasting local produce, enjoying concerts, seeing surprising places and places referring to Saint James).

You can also visit the website for additional information: www.trailsaintjacquesnamur.com

The Hostel has a total of 15 beds plus two adapted beds that include two companions. The hostel is full accessibility for all users.

Other Hostels in the public network of the Xunta de Galicia on the Southeast Way – Via de la Plata:

– A Gudiña (26 beds)
– Laza (36)
– Vilar de Barrio (24)
– Xunqueira de Ambía (24)
– Verín (38)
– Vila de Rei – Trasmiras (30)
– Sandías (24)
– Ourense (46)
– San Cristobo de Cea (42)
– A Laxe – Bendoiro / Lalín (30)
– Bandeira – Silleda (36)
– Outeiro – Vedra (32)

Dr. Robert Georg Plötz was born in Nürnberg on 18 July 1942. He studied German Studies, History, Philosophy, Ethnology and Sports Studies at the University of Würzburg (1963-1969). He worked as assistant professor in the Chair of German Studies and Ethnology at the same university.

From 1971 to 1977 he held the position of Assistant Professor of German at the University of Oviedo (Asturias). From 1979 to 2007 he held the position of Director of Niederrheinisches Museum für Volkskunde und Kulturgeschichte in Kevelaer (Lower Rhine).

From 2008 to 2013 he worked as Teaching Professor of the History of Franconia (Chair of Medieval History) at the University of Würzburg. He participated in many summer courses and conferences in Europe and the USA.

He has many publications on the history of culture and popular traditions, but above all studies on pilgrims and pilgrimages. He was president of the Deutsche St. Jakobus-Gesellschaft (1987-2012) for 25 years.

In 1999 he was awarded the Gold Medal from the city of Santiago de Compostela, in 2001 the Silver Medal of Galicia from the Government of Galicia, and in 2004 the Merit Cross of Germany. From its foundation he was member of the International Committee of Experts of the Way of Saint James.

Pilgrim and supporter of the associative movement.

His contribution to the world of research into the Way of Saint James and the Jacobean pilgrimage, specifically in Germany but also in many other places, sets a benchmark. His research was combined with his enjoyment of being a pilgrim and his support for the Way of Saint James associative movement.

The Government of Galicia wishes to send its condolences to his relatives and friends, also expressing its appreciation for his long career and important contribution to the revitalisation of the Way of Saint James.