The Way of Sant James

• This increase in the number of pilgrims, arriving from 172 countries and on more and more pilgrimage routes, shows that "Galicia gusta" and that everyone's work has made the Camino de Santiago  more than just an exclusive phenomenon of the holy years.
• To prepare for Xacobeo 2021, the city calls on the spirit of Xacobeo 93, which put Compostela on the tourist map and awarded it the title of a universal city.

Santiago de Compostela, 15 October 2018

The president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, welcomed the 300,000th pilgrim today; a historic figure achieved two months earlier than last year, in December, when this figure was reached for the first time, and predictions to close 2018 with a new record above 320,000.

During the compostela awards ceremony, Feijóo stated that this increase in the number of pilgrims, arriving from 172 countries and on more and more pilgrimage routes, shows that "Galicia gusta" and that everyone's work, especially those in the tourism sector, has made the Camino de Santiago more than just an exclusive phenomenon of the holy years.

In this sense, he recalled that the Galician Government is working on the care and promotion of the Camino de Santiago through its Master Plan, an initiative with an investment of 56 million and eight work lines. With constant planning, criteria and direction: to improve, recover and conserve the natural and cultural heritage; to continue investing in responsible and diversified tourism; and to continue valuing that which sets us apart from the rest - excellence based on tranquillity and authenticity.

Throughout his speech, the head of the Xunta referred to the preparations for Xacobeo 21, a challenge for which there is the new Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with the arrival of high-speed a year before the holy year and the comprehensive restoration of the Cathedral of Santiago. "We are talking about preparing the best Xacobeo in our history," he said, calling on the spirit of Xacobeo 93, which put Compostela on the tourist map and gave it the title of universal city.