THE IMPACTS OF THE SANTIAGO PILGRIMAGE WAY ON RURAL SPAIN. THE CASE OF THE FRENCH WAY (NORTHERN SPAIN)
THE IMPACTS OF THE SANTIAGO PILGRIMAGE WAY ON RURAL SPAIN. THE CASE OF THE FRENCH WAY (NORTHERN SPAIN)

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts on the rural development of historic, thematic routes. Our paper concentrates on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Specifically, we look at the most important of the routes - known as “The French Way” - which traverses Northern Spain. We focus the research on how the pilgrimage fits into rural life in 21st century Spain, on the particular features of the journey and on how travelers, service providers and the clergy relate to the Way. Our research is based on in-depth interviews with seven people during the 31 days of the pilgrimage in the summer of 2014. These interviews were conducted with two quite different groups of people - with a variety of religious parties and with owners of restaurants, bars, shops and accommodation as service providers. The results of both our primary and secondary research led us to conclude that this specific thematic route includes features that contribute positively to the rural areas and encourage the rural population to maintain and preserve their values.

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