The Way of Sant James

• On Monday, a travelling exhibition organised by Tourism of Galicia will arrive in the United Kingdom, paying homage to those providing hospitality along the different routes.
• The British market ranks eighth among the most represented nationalities on the Jacobean route, which is more international and diversified than ever.
• As of today, more than 292,000 pilgrims have reached Compostela this year, which represents an increase of more than 8% over the previous year.

Santiago de Compostela, 4 November 2017

The hospitality and welcome to be found along the Way of St. James will be on display in London from next week, with the arrival of a travelling exhibition organised by Tourism of Galicia. This has already been on a successful tour to explain in more detail the essence of Jacobean values ​​through art.

The exhibition is open to the public from Monday and can be found in Royal Holloway, University of London. The aim is to reach out to the British market which sends around 6,000 pilgrims a year to Galicia and is ranked eighth in terms of the most represented nationalities on the Jacobean route, which is proving to be more international and diversified than ever. In fact, this year Galicia has already welcomed pilgrims of 179 different nationalities, while last year the figure was 145.

The 20 countries most represented on the Way of St. James include, along with the United Kingdom, places like Italy, Germany and Poland, as well as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Australia and Korea. In addition, the symbolic figure of 300,000 pilgrims is coming ever closer, since as of today more than 292,000 pilgrims have reached Compostela, which represents an increase of more than 8% compared to 2016.

With the exhibition that is now arriving in London, Tourism of Galicia is working to publicise the Jacobean values, as envisaged in the Strategic and Master Plan for the Way of St. James, the road map with all eyes on Xacobeo 2021. This plan covers eight areas, simultaneously, among which are the conservation and maintenance of the route, the preservation and promotion of its heritage values, its consolidation as a sustainable way and the strengthening of the different existing Ways.

Dissemination

In the same way, there is an emphasis on the reinforcement of Santiago de Compostela as the end point of all the routes, the specialisation and quality of the service and welcome for the pilgrims, and the promotion of the researching, communication and dissemination of the Jacobean culture, the latter of which is the subject of the exhibition arriving in London.

The exhibition pays tribute to all the volunteer hosts through a select collection of photographs. The work of Manuel G. Vicente, the images were taken in recent decades and show the hospitality of the many volunteers in the hostels and other points along the Way of St. James.

Inaugurated in Santiago de Compostela to celebrate the start of the Jubilee of Mercy year, the exhibition first went on an extensive tour of Galician cities such as Ourense, Mondoñedo, Tui, Samos and Ferrol. It also visited several churches and cathedrals around the world, such as Auckland and Durham and Exeter in the United Kingdom.

After its time in London, the exhibition will return to Spain, where it can be visited at the Maestro Padilla Auditorium in Almería.