Pilgrimage and Tourism at Santiago de Compostela

This paper examines the route-based religious phenomenon in Northwestern Spain known as the Route to Santiago. Santiago de Compostela became a popular religious site with the alleged discovery of the remains of St. James the apostle in the Middle Ages, but the route itself, which is of particular significance to European Catholics, and the method of traversing it, are more important than the final destination. Using secondary sources and published information from government sources, this paper argues that there is little difference between pilgrims and tourists despite efforts by religious groups to make this distinction and to set a strict definition of ‘pilgrim’ in this context. The majority of visitors to Santiago and travellers along the route are simply tourists who are curious about a the route and the city of Santiago.