Exploring the dialectics of route-based tourism: the Camino de Santiago

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“…En la actualidad el Camino de Santiago Francés se configura como un itinerario versátil (Graham y Murray, 1997); una ruta que refleja la heterogeneidad y diversidad del peregrinaje moderno por tener varios usos, que ha perdido, en gran parte, la sacralidad de sus orígenes, que es recorrida por peregrinos y turistas con motivaciones muy heterogéneas, multi-entrada y multidireccional, y que se diversifica generando otros productos turísticos a su alrededor.…”

“…Particularly striking is the increased number of papers focusing on religious routes and itineraries, which are no longer limited to an analytical distinction between pilgrimage and religious tourism (e.g. Hitrec, 1990;Cohen, 1992;Barber, 1993;Stoddard,1997;Blackwell, 2007;Griffin, 2007;Damari and Mansfeld, 2014;Trono, 2014;Carbone et al, 2016) but seek to shed light on the current motives for such journeys (Trono, 2016), routes (Murray and Graham, 1997;Shackley, 2001;Raj and Morpeth, 2007;Gray and Winton, 2009;Herrero et al, 2009;Collins-Kreiner, 2010). There are also a considerable number of studies focusing on specific cases (e.g.…”

“…El Camino de Santiago ha pasado de ser un producto únicamente ligado al turismo espiritual y religioso a convertirse en un producto mucho más amplio que recoge diferentes tipologías turísticas, fundamentalmente aquellas vinculadas con la cultura y la naturaleza (Graham y Murray, 1997;Burgo, 2006;Porcal, 2006;Precedo, et al, 2007;Maak, 2009;Leira et al, 2010;Hernández, 2011;Martín, 2014). Sin duda el Camino de Santiago ha experimentado un aumento constante en el número de las personas que lo realizan desde 2004, habiendo registrado algunos repuntes coincidiendo con los Años Santos y no viéndose afectado de forma negativa por la crisis económica (Oficina del peregrino, 2017).…”

Self-guided trails – a route to more responsible tourism?

“…Trail usage is difficult to monitor, particularly in remote regions or in busy urban centres where users cannot be readily differentiated from other visitors (Hayes & MacLeod 2008). However, the positive economic impact of the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail in Virginia, US and the Path to Progress Trail in Pennsylvania, US, have both been measured using expenditure surveys of trail users and an analysis of existing site reports respectively (Strauss & Lord, 2001;Bowker, Bergstrom, & Gill, 2007) In neglecting to evaluate impact and to monitor trails, developers may also be unaware of potential areas of conflict inherent in some trails, for example the "pilgrim-tourist dialectic" in the case of the Camino de Santiago where pious and secular motives may clash (Murray & Graham, 1997). Severe problems can also arise in trails using sites that are culturally or politically sensitive as developers of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail in Hong Kong discovered.…”

Turismo cultural y rutas históricas. El Camino de San Pedro de Jerusalén a Roma

“…Particularly striking is the increased number of papers focusing on religious routes and itineraries, which are no longer limited to an analytical distinction between pilgrimage and religious tourism (e.g. Hitrec, 1990;Cohen, 1992;Barber, 1993;Stoddard,1997;Blackwell, 2007;Griffin, 2007;Damari and Mansfeld, 2014;Trono, 2014;Carbone et al, 2016) but seek to shed light on the current motives for such journeys (Trono, 2016), routes (Murray and Graham, 1997;Shackley, 2001;Raj and Morpeth, 2007;Gray and Winton, 2009;Herrero et al, 2009;Collins-Kreiner, 2010). There are also a considerable number of studies focusing on specific cases (e.g.…”