For the first time in the history of Hakoebo, the Holy Year is doubled. Due to the pandemic, the celebrations have been extended to 2022 and expectations are high. In an interview with Renaissance, Vice President of the Galician Junta, Alfonso Rueda, emphasizes that Portugal and its airports are important gateways for foreign pilgrims.
Alfonso Rueda estimates that at a time when demand is on the rise along the Portuguese route, Santiago de Compostela could accommodate over half a million pilgrims to Jacobeo.
In the presentation of the year Xacobeo 2021-2022 in Lisbon, the Galician politician reveals that everything is ready if Pope Francis moves to Compostela, which celebrates the Holy Year in 2022, and emphasizes that the junta is working with the Portuguese government on certification. paths of Santigo.
What are the Portuguese pilgrims on the way to Santiago?
They are growing, especially in the last month and a half. And with the weekend in October, this will certainly become even more noticeable. Now they make up six percent of the total number of pilgrims. Twenty percent of those arriving in Santiago are not Spanish pilgrims, of whom six percent are Portuguese. Surely it will increase
After a year of the pandemic, what opportunities does this double year of Xacobeo represent for Galicia?
This is an opportunity for Galicia. We have been preparing it for 11 years, starting from the last sacred year. Our forecast from an economic point of view is that with Xacobeo, Galicia’s gross domestic product could rise by two points. Perhaps in 2022 we will be able to surpass this forecast, and we will have very large economic growth. The point is that pilgrims can get to Galicia, those who travel at least 100 kilometers, more than half a million. Then there are many who are attracted by the road who do not cover 100 kilometers, but want to go to Santiago and want to be in Galicia in the holy year. We have a tremendous opportunity.
What role can Jacobeo play in the relations between Portugal and Galicia?
We know that international pilgrims make up twenty percent of arrivals. In 2019, they accounted for almost sixty percent. Tour operators say they have a lot of orders, advice and planning for the next year. More than 20 thousand pilgrims arrived from South Korea in 2019 to get an idea, 60 or 70 thousand Brazilians arrived. All of these people who will come from different countries will also arrive in 2022, and many of them will arrive via Portugal, starting in Porto or even further south.
How important are Portuguese roads? The road from Porto is the most famous, but there are those who start further south. Is it important to identify and certify these pathways?
Yes, it is very important. There are ten officially recognized paths in Galicia. There are many more places that I would also like to visit, but you need to be very strict in this. Not all roads lead to Santiago. The road to Santiago is a road that dates back to the Middle Ages. Pilgrims went there, he has a legacy that justifies him, he has historical roots, and therefore we must be strict.
I think the same should be done in Portugal. For hundreds of years people have traveled from Portugal to Santiago. So, it is necessary to define very well what these paths were, to indicate them very well, to be precise in their scheme. It is not worth picking it up for tourist reasons, so that it passes through the village where it really didn’t pass, so that it passes in front of a tourist establishment, where it really didn’t pass. All of this needs to be taken care of, because we have to keep the essence of the path. Pilgrims want to know that they are on the right track and that this is not something made up.
We want to collaborate, and we are already doing this in a certification committee with the Portuguese government to inform them that the paths outlined in Portugal have all the historical rigor. We also need to make sure that the signs are the same on all paths. We have also asked the Portuguese authorities to help ensure the quality of the road experience.
Porto has now placed a landmark on the roads of Santiago de Compostela, next to the Porto Cathedral. Could the same thing happen in Lisbon, next to the cathedral?
Yes, we always offer these milestones. In places where there are indeed pilgrims, we are interested in having a link to the path. The Junta de Galicia is always open to this. In fact, we placed them a few days ago in front of the Porto Cathedral, we have already placed them in many places around the world, and we would be happy to do so in Lisbon as well. It is a symbol. It is a recognizable element. Therefore, we would be happy to come here for the reference point to which we are pointed, but this depends on the authorities of Lisbon.
But have you already contacted Carlos Moedas? Lisbon has a new mayor, newly elected …
No, not yet, because he was elected again, but we can do it. We would love to. Following this presentation by Xacobeo here in Lisbon, we would like to come back and meet with the new elected officials and establish a close relationship. The longer the path, the better. We are interested in pilgrims who make long journeys, coming from afar, because they will make the journey many times. I think the Porto-Santiago route is already well established, so it was interesting to go further south and that Lisbon was also the gateway to Jacobeo.
As I said, Lisbon is the gateway for many foreign pilgrims. This Portuguese road route is not only laid out by Portuguese citizens. How interesting was reality to Galicia?
First of all, pilgrims who come from afar, from America and Asia, many arrive in Europe via Portugal and then go to where they want to start their journey. So this interests us very much. We have studies showing that first-time visitors start by exploring Portugal and Galicia as pilgrims, but then want to return. They want to see it more calmly, come with more people. So, Portuguese airports are the gateway to Jacobeo, and they are crucial for us. For many, they are closer than Seville or Madrid. For example, Lisbon airport, which has international connections with Brazil, as well as with Asia or for pilgrims from Africa. This interests us very much.
Regarding Pope Francisco’s visit to Santiago de Compostela, the invitation has already been made by the President of the Council of Galicia, and in a recent interview, Francisco admitted that he could go to Santiago. What are your expectations?
The Pope’s visit is essential. The President of the Galician junta, Alberto Nunez Feijo, was received by the Pope in a private audience a few months ago. The purpose of the visit was to invite him to Santiago. As we say, in “Vatican” language, I did not say “no”. Sometimes not saying no can mean yes. In addition, he was already asked in an interview, and he said that if he went to Spain, he would only go to Galicia, nothing more. We hope that yes, it will be a great addition to Xacobeo 2022. We assume that it may arrive in the middle of the year. It would be fantastic. The last time the previous Pope visited was in 2010, and his predecessor was also in another Hakobeo. So if he comes up, we will be well prepared and it will be the perfect complement. But it depends on the Pope, it does not depend on us. We just have to be ready if you come.
How are the pandemic and security measures still affecting the Xacobeo experience of the year?
It is true that the measures were difficult. At the beginning of this holy year, there were no pilgrims. In February we had sixteen pilgrims, nothing more. We are now going to close this September with about $ 40K. This means that as soon as people were able to walk and move around the territory, the pilgrims began to hit the road. There were still difficulties during the summer months because, for example, the dorms were 50% full and it was difficult to sleep. Complemented his private proposal. Now, with time, all this has been decided. Some restrictions still exist, but until they disappear completely, there will be many international travelers coming to us.
In Galicia we create insurance for travelers, pilgrims or not. If they got infected and were forced to comply with quarantine, the Junta de Galicia took care of everything, accommodation and costs. We will keep this for next year. The truth is, we have applied this very few times in practice. Among the 150,000 pilgrims, this was only needed twenty times, and it worked very well. It also guarantees safety and peace of mind for the return of tourists to Galicia.
