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.

Today, Turismo de Galicia Director Nava Castro visited the signage and improvement work carried out along the Northern Route of the Way of St. James, which celebrates its second anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Wednesday. The area involved spanned close to 200 kilometres and work took several months. This pilgrimage route, which is attracting a growing amount of interest, is now more accessible and safer.

The actions along the Northern Route included 16 municipalities in the provinces of Lugo and A Coruña. They consisted of three types of work: adding new signage to make it easier for pilgrims to find their way, restoring the route along those sections which required it, and improving drainage to prevent situations which would make the pilgrimage more difficult. The total investment required to complete the work was over 2.3 million euros.

In terms of signage, more than 900 stone milestones were erected, each indicating how many kilometres remain between the pilgrim and their goal in Santiago de Compostela. Also added were 200 ceramic shells with arrows on horizontal surfaces and another 20 bronze shells. In addition, information signs were installed at the various forks in the Camino and along alternative routes.

In order to ensure that pilgrims do not encounter problems when travelling the route, clean-up, clearing and restoration work was carried out along sections of the Way of St. James that had been blocked by vegetation. Furthermore, those stretches that were in bad condition, making travel difficult, were repaired using materials with similar characteristics to those already found in the area. And lastly, in cases where the path has a steep gradient, it was stabilized using materials that will guarantee proper conservation in the future.

A third area of attention involved drainage improvements. To this end, ditches were cleaned and stone elements such as culverts, channels and protection along the edges of the path were placed to prevent water from damaging the route.

This new location brings this important facility closer, making it easier for its intended users, pilgrims, to access both the Center and its information, as it is now physically located along the North Route, next to the hostel for pilgrims.

The North Route to Santiago de Compostela is thus gaining more devotees, continuing its strong upward trend in the number of pilgrims, which have totaled 17,200 so far this year. This is more than 9% higher than for the same period last year and solidifies its standing as the third most traveled route to Santiago, only behind the French Route and the Portuguese Route.

Along with this Interpretation Center on the North Route in Mondoñedo, which has been visited 4,297 times so far this year, the Galicia Board of Tourism currently has another Interpretation Center on the Primitive Route, located in Lugo, and two information points in O Cebreiro and the International Welcome Center for Pilgrims, located on Carretas Street in Santiago de Compostela.