The Way of Sant James

• The Xunta is tackling the organization of Xacobeo 2021 with the hope that it will set the tone for the decade in the community and provide a stimulus which will help consolidate Galicia as a unique, spiritual tourist destination
• The committee will provide a steady, regular hand in preparations for the event, making it possible to coordinate the work of all Xunta departments and the other government bodies and organizations involved
• Its duties will include coordinating the actions of the various government bodies taking part, approving the Xacobeo 2021 Strategic Plan and the various annual operating plans for development, approving the Xacobeo 2021 brand and logo, and preparing and approving programming
• The committee will be headed by the president of the Xunta and include two vice-chairpersons, the secretary of culture and director of tourism, as well as representatives of various Xunta departments and bodies, the Santiago Town Council, the Archbishopric and the towns on the different routes

Santiago de Compostela, 20 July 2017

At a press conference held today, the president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, announced the creation of the Xacobeo 2021 Organizing Committee, with the goal of making this the best Holy Year in our history. To this end, the Galician government will leverage two positive aspects of the current situation: there is adequate time to prepare for the event in a relaxed, deliberate fashion, and the economic situation should be noticeably better than it was for Xacobeo 2010.

After noting that the Way of St. James is exerting an increasingly stronger pull, the head of the Galician government stated that the Xunta is tackling the organization of Xacobeo 2021 with the hope that it will set the tone for the decade in the community and provide a stimulus which will help consolidate Galicia as a unique, spiritual tourist destination, and allow us to showcase our image at the national and international level.

These are the two aims behind the creation of the Xacobeo 2021 Organizing Committee, which will provide a steady, regular hand in preparations for the event, making it possible to coordinate the work of all Xunta departments and other government bodies and organizations involved.

Its duties will include coordinating the actions of the various government bodies taking part, especially the Xunta de Galicia and the Galician town councils; approving the Xacobeo 2021 Strategic Plan and the various annual operating plans for development; approving the Xacobeo 2021 brand and logo; obtaining private sponsors; proposing applicable tax incentives for these private sponsors; preparing and approving Holy Year programming; and publicising the event.

As Feijóo stressed, the Xacobeo is an unparalleled occasion because it will strengthen one of our greatest calling cards, the Way of St. James, and act as a major religious, cultural and economic stimulus. This is a historic opportunity and we should not delay in beginning preparations. It will therefore be a focus for the efforts of the Galician government from this point forward.

Composition of the Xacobeo 2021 Organizing Committee

This new body will be made up of a chairperson, the president of the Xunta; a senior vice-chairperson, who will be the Secretary of Culture, Education and University Planning; a junior vice-chairperson, the director of Turismo de Galicia; various members from the different Xunta departments and bodies; and representatives of the Santiago de Compostela Town Council, the Archbishopric and the towns on the different routes of the Way of St. James. There will also be a secretary with speaking rights but no vote from the Department of Culture, Education and University Planning.

The committee, which will be assigned to the Office of the President of the Xunta, will appoint an eight-member executive committee from among its members, to include the two vice-chairpersons.