[Gocamino] NExcept for Galicia, numbers were down in 2010

[Tim]

Hi All,
    This sums up the experience we have had here in St Jean Pied de Port 
where numbers just about held their own on last year and where many said 
that they were not going far into Spain that they would leave that until 
next year when they would be sure of getting a bed each night.  The 
massive publicity about the huge numbers expected for the 'Holy Year' 
had a dampening effect on the long distance pilgrim numbers.  Only to be 
expected really.  To look on the bright side for us accommodation 
providers now that it is over we should see an upswing of the long 
distance walkers. 
    I'll take this opportunity of wishing you all well for 2011 and to 
ask Sil if her arrangements for this year's visit to SJPdP are coming on.
Regards
Tim


Sil wrote:
> The Xacobeo 2010 was a success, but only in Galicia. The vast majority of
> the 272,110 people who arrived in Santiago in 2010 only covered about 100
> kilometers.
> Most of the 272,110 pilgrims who arrived in Santiago during the Holy Year
> chose the short road (just over 100km) to earn the Compostela, starting
> their journey from Sarria or Cebreiro.
> Only a minority dared to depart from France, following the journey to the
> Apostle in its fullness, in the jubilee year. The influx of pilgrims from
> long distance was so low that there was a fall of between 3% and 6% compared
> to 2009 statistics from the Center for Studies and Documentation of the
> Camino de Santiago, located in Palencia.
> The latest data from the Office of the Compostela pilgrim indicate that they
> have exceeded all expectations of pilgrimage beyond the 272,100 travelers,
> which is, overall, 85% more than in 2009 and almost double the figure
> recorded in the previous year Xacobeo (2004). But long-distance pilgrims did
> not feel the call of the Apostle in the Holy Year, preferring a later date
> to make their way in peace, avoiding the crowds.
> According to estimates from the school located in Carrión de los Condes,
> which is since 1993 the activity of the French Way, only about 38,000
> pilgrims began their spiritual journey in Roncesvalles, Saint Jean Pied de
> Port, and across the 775km route St. James.
> Cebreiro was one of the most popular destinations for those who ventured
> beyond Sarria, "from the Bierzo would estimate that about 100,000," says
> Angel Luis Barrera, director of the Center for Studies and Documentation of
> the Camino de Santiago.
> Navarre, Aragon, La Rioja and Castile and Leon did not experience the effect
> of Xacobeo. On the contrary, their shelters have been more empty than usual.
> "It's just that in 2009, the volume of pilgrims who crossed the entire
> French Road increased by 19% compared to 2008, perhaps because they wanted
> to do it before the Holy Year. This trend augurs well for us this year and
> may produce a rise in long-distance pilgrims.
> “What is behind the mass exodus of long-distance pilgrimage? "Doing so is a
> whole month. They ask for quiet, spiritual concentration and that the
> shelters are not impossible. In addition, many are not interested in earning
> the Compostela. Others walk the way in stages in different  years," said
> Angel Luis Barrera.
>
> farodevigo.es
>
> Sil
> www.amawalkerscamino.weebly.com
> http://amawalker.blogspot.com/
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