2001 pilgrim numbers

[Robert Spenger]

Rosina,

This is just a wild guess from a non expert, but I think that it is possible
that the EU might have something to do with it. I don't know the chronology of
this, but some sort of cultural commission of the EU got interested in the
pilgrimage a while back and there was money provided to improve the
infrastructure of the system. There seems to have been lots of ramifications of
this, like money being provided to local committees who made their own decisions
about how to spend it, sometimes appropriately and sometimes not. Certainly it
produced a renewed interest on the part of the Spanish - both potential pilgrims
and the business men along the route. This is not cynicism, just realism. I
would assume that there were plenty of news reports about it in the other EU
countries that would help to spark interest in the pilgrimage. Perhaps some of
our European members can give us more definite information on this.

regards,

Robert

Rosina Lila wrote:

>     I wonder if any of our esteemed Caminologists and distinguished Camino
> writers in this list has a plausible explanation for the huge increase in
> numbers in 1993; admittedly, it was a Jacobean Holy Year.... but, a  one
> thousand per cent increase?  I'd love to know what you think may have
> inspired so very many pilgrims in that particular year.
>
> Fond regards,
> Rosina