Cultural tourism and urban management in northwesternSpain: the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

The fast growth of cultural tourism in the last few yearshas dramatically altered the way the architectural heritage of Spanishcities is perceived and preserved. This change in outlook has affectedboth the local population and the political and economic authorities.The revival of an old medieval pilgrimage road – the Routeto Santiago – in the 1990s has entailed the rise to culturalprominence of a number of northwestern Spanish cities and towns.The reassessment of the notion of tourist potential has turned parts ofthe heritage that used to be neglected into valuable assets. Thus,due to the emergence of cultural tourism the Camino has become animportant source of economic growth in northwestern Spain. Thispaper focuses on the analysis of four case studies: León,Astorga, Sarria and Santiago de Compostela. All of them have recentlyoffered a programme of events related to the pilgrimage, althoughwith very different degrees of success. These examples illustratethe way that cultural tourism has generated a new space and economicdynamics. The scenarios they have created are perceived as a renovatedsign of identity by both the local community and the potential visitors.