July pilgrim numbers from the SJPDP pilgrim office

[Bradypus]

@Monasp has just posted the latest monthly pilgrim count from the pilgrim office in SJPDP on their Facebook account. A drop of 6.25% for July compared with last year. @Monasp asks if that may have something to do with the Olympics making travel more difficult. Here is the table of figures for those who do not use Facebook.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

@Monasp asks if that may have something to do with the Olympics making travel more difficult.

Whilst a reasonable assumption, who really knows? You only have to look at the numbers pre-covid to see that they're all over the place. The yearly total's don't even consistently climb year on year, let alone any one individual month.
Overall, the numbers are still up 980 for the same period last year but that's only just over 2.8% .
Considering that the overall numbers for all caminos are up significantly more than that, you might as well ask why people are choosing to walk alternative routes. Access? Awareness? Media hype?

 

[trecile]

I wish that the SJPdP Pilgrim Office still published their statistics on their website, and I particularly liked the graph from the year that they showed the numbers week by week, like this one from 2017.

 

[GaTeach]

Proud to be one of those July numbers. Such a great time this year on the Frances.

 

[Bradypus]

Considering that the overall numbers for all caminos are up significantly more than that, you might as well ask why people are choosing to walk alternative routes. Access? Awareness? Media hype?

Can't speak for anyone else but in my own case a combination of the first two reasons. I read about other peoples' experiences on alternative routes here and in other online spaces and something in particular may catch my eye and draw me in that direction. And I also bear in mind which routes are easily and cheaply reached from the UK. A number of articles I have seen in recent months about the remarkable growth in numbers walking the Portugues routes have pointed out that easy access to Porto airport for international travellers is likely to be a significant factor.

 

[markie6]

For me easy to access to London St Pancras > Paris > St Jean

or Gatwick > Porto or Lisbon

and every time I see Photos or reports from any Camino I get the itch

So many are returning from their Caminos and feeding their reports, photos, reviews onto social media and highlighting what a great time they have had

Im busy surfing sncf, eurostar and different hotels as I type

 

[Maurice Frank]

I walked the Portuguese Central route including the Variante Espiritual starting 25 from Porto. The days in Portugal were very quiet not crowded at all. Most pilgrims I met were Spanish or Italian. I met only 3 other Americans (like me).
Once in Spain there were more pilgrims but still not crowded at all.
I know the Coastal route is more popular, and o know many begin in Tui, but I just never felt there were many pilgrims around.

 

[Bradypus]

I know the Coastal route is more popular, and o know many begin in Tui, but I just never felt there were many pilgrims around.

I walked the Portugues from Valenca in May and I have never seen such crowding on a Camino route. Not even on the Camino Frances in September. Extraordinary numbers. After Caldas de Reis I was rarely out of sight of another pilgrim for more than a minute and when resting for some water or a snack I could be passed by 50 or more pilgrims in a few minutes.

 

[Monasp]

I wish that the SJPdP Pilgrim Office still published their statistics on their website, and I particularly liked the graph from the year that they showed the numbers week by week, like this one from 2017.

View attachment 175702

Here are the weekly statistics for 2024 up to August 4

 

[Bradypus]

I've just been reading an article from a Burgos news website in which albergue owners are complaining about a larger than usual drop in pilgrim numbers on the meseta this summer.

Peregrinaje a medio Camino a su paso por Burgos

Los albergues demandan más promoción de la Meseta ante el desplome estival de romeros. Las altas temperaturas, la mala fama del tramo entre Burgos y León y la escasez de zonas de sombra ahuyentan cada vez a más caminantes

www.diariodeburgos.es

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Never having walked the Frances my impression of the Meseta just comes from others videos. I don't ever skip sections ( although I'll happily take a decent variant) but I can understand how others might wish to skip walking for days without any shade. Hard for the business owners enroute. A sign of the times?

I just jumped into the pilgrim statistics website and the numbers are interesting. 13% up overall, the Frances however is just up 8%. So I looked a little deeper at the numbers.

Some like a 94% increase on the Camino Del Mar initially seem incredible until you realise how few have still actually walked it (151).
On the other hand a 48% increase on the Portuguese coastal is huge, considering the thousands that walk. The fourth and fifth most popular caminos - Inglès and Primitivo- are also up by 19 and 21% respectively.

What I would love to know - but have no idea if there are any statistics for - is how many of those are first timers. Because here on the forum we often tout the Frances from Sarria, the Portuguese coastal, the Inglés and the Primitivo as great options for novice Pilgrims.

 

[trecile]

Here are the weekly statistics for 2024 up to August 4

Thank you.
Is there a weekly statistics graph for 2023? I'd like to see one that shows an entire year.

 

[peregrina2000]

I've just been reading an article from a Burgos news website in which albergue owners are complaining about a larger than usual drop in pilgrim numbers on the meseta this summer.

Peregrinaje a medio Camino a su paso por Burgos

Los albergues demandan más promoción de la Meseta ante el desplome estival de romeros. Las altas temperaturas, la mala fama del tramo entre Burgos y León y la escasez de zonas de sombra ahuyentan cada vez a más caminantes

www.diariodeburgos.es

This is not limited to the meseta. A friend with an albergue in Navarra has seen decreases in numbers, too. I remember that a few years ago, the government of Navarra had undertaken a SOS program to try to stimulate numbers, but I cannot find the threads that discussed this.

 

[Bradypus]

Thank you.
Is there a weekly statistics graph for 2023? I'd like to see one that shows an entire year.

I've just had a look at the SJPDP pilgrim office Facebook page and the only full years I could see are quite old - 2016 and 2017. But the pattern for those looks pretty similar. Perhaps @Monasp will post last year's graph soon.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

@Monasp has just posted the latest monthly pilgrim count from the pilgrim office in SJPDP on their Facebook account. A drop of 6.25% for July compared with last year. @Monasp asks if that may have something to do with the Olympics making travel more difficult. Here is the table of figures for those who do not use Facebook.

View attachment 175691

View attachment 175692

Maybe I’m misunderstanding something here. The total number? I’ve seen so many references to “400,000 people a year do the Camino” and here all the year end totals are mid five figures?

As to the original question I’ve heard significantly less people came for the Olympics in Paris then expected. They started discounting hotel rooms….

 

[Bradypus]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding something here. The total number? I’ve seen so many references to “400,000 people a year do the Camino” and here all the year end totals are mid five figures?

The SJPDP pilgrim office figures are almost entirely for those beginning only one route - the Camino Frances. And in recent years those choosing to begin the Camino Frances in SJPDP are a small fraction of all pilgrims. But the 440,000+ figure is the total from the Santiago pilgrim office and is for those walking all possible routes and receiving a Compostela.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding something here. The total number? I’ve seen so many references to “400,000 people a year do the Camino” and here all the year end totals are mid five figures?

These are the numbers leaving SJ PDP, not the numbers arriving in Santiago (SdC)

 

[Stephan the Painter]

The SJPDP pilgrim office figures are almost entirely for those beginning only one route

These are the numbers leaving SJ PDP, not the numbers arriving in Santiago (SdC)

Ooops, sorry, that's what I get for not reading carefully enough. Yes, I thought it was the pilgrims office in Santiago.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I've just been reading an article from a Burgos news website in which albergue owners are complaining about a larger than usual drop in pilgrim numbers on the meseta this summer.

Prices go up, pilgrims stop coming.

I think it really is that simple.

 

[Bradypus]

Prices go up, pilgrims stop coming.

I think it really is that simple.

I think it is probably more of a seasonal lull. Prices have gone up a lot in recent years but despite that overall numbers have continued to increase at a remarkable rate. The Camino Frances doesn't seem to be seeing much of that growth though.

 

[RemysMimi]

This is not limited to the meseta. A friend with an albergue in Navarra has seen decreases in numbers, too. I remember that a few years ago, the government of Navarra had undertaken a SOS program to try to stimulate numbers, but I cannot find the threads that discussed this.

Sad to hear. I loved the Meseta. Have done it 3 times. I did the Frances for the third time late April through June. I was tempted to end early just because I felt there were too many people. I really enjoyed it the first two time when there were less people. Also, the Spaniards seemed less friendly this time around. I attributed it to the volume and behavior of the pilgrims. I saw some pretty ugly behavior. Not the norm but not nice.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I think it is probably more of a seasonal lull. Prices have gone up a lot in recent years but despite that overall numbers have continued to increase at a remarkable rate. The Camino Frances doesn't seem to be seeing much of that growth though.

Well this is a thread about numbers specifically on the Francès, and apart from Sarria onwards and the first stages after SJPP, they have been falling overall for a few years now.

That's not to say they aren't growing on other Camino routes.

 

[trecile]

Well this is a thread about numbers specifically on the Francès, and apart from Sarria onwards and the first stages after SJPP, they have been falling overall for a few years now.

That's not to say they aren't growing on other Camino routes.

Are you implying that prices are higher on the Meseta than the rest of the Francés or on other routes like the Primitivo and Portuguese caminhos?

Definitely not true in my experience.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Are you implying that prices are higher on the Meseta than the rest of the Francés or on other routes like the Primitivo and Portuguese caminhos?

Definitely not true in my experience.

No, just generally that prices overall have skyrocketed in the past 5 years. Anecdotally, pilgrims I have spoken to this year are definitely doing shorter walks.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Prices go up, pilgrims stop coming.

I think it really is that simple.

I really don't think it's as simple as that. It may be affecting the locals ie the number of spaniards walking ( although the statistics would say otherwise) however it certainly has not stopped a significant increase in international pilgrims.

Anecdotally, pilgrims I have spoken to this year are definitely doing shorter walks.

It's certainly true that the increase over the last couple of years has been on the shorter routes. Of course for international pilgrims (unless they're retired) many only have 2-3 weeks to walk. Unless you're staying at high end hotels or doing an organised tour, prices are significantly cheaper to walk the camino than to spend the same time frame in most major European cities.

Currently all we're really discussing is why is there a minor downward blip in this month's numbers, (which historically fluctuate anyway) and why are so many people avoiding the Meseta.

Whilst a shame that they are skipping the Meseta, it seems that many are simply employing common sense when you look at the local weather maps. High temperatures, long stretches with no shade .... . You only have to have one say "to hell with this, I'm going to skip it" for half a dozen more to follow. Before long, it almost becomes the norm.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

What interests me in all of this is the massive differential between the numbers recorded as leaving SJPdP and the numbers recorded in Santiago as having arrived from there. (Last year : 57,338 -
31,674 = 25,664.)

I am fully appreciative of the fact that some do a Camino over several years however I would have anticipated that those numbers would have (roughly) balanced out.
Nor does it seem logical to me that somebody would bother to register in SJPdP, but not get a Compostela - although I guess there may always be a few. That said again I would have anticipated that there would be those who didn't register in SJPdP but did get a Compostela, again balancing out to some extent.

Of course the hidden number is those that quit. Whilst it's only anecdotal, we've spoken in the past about that figure being estimated at 10%. But 25,000 is a heck of a lot higher than that

What am I missing?

 

[David Tallan]

I think part of the reason for the shift to other routes is the availability of sites like this one, or the Facebook Camino groups, where there is a preponderance of voices saying "The Camino Frances is overcrowded. Take a different route."

It used to be that the information a prospective pilgrim would get would lead them toward the Camino Frances. Either they would have read a newspaper article, or a book, or seen a movie, all of which featured the Camino Frances. Or they might know someone who had walked a Camino (most probably, the Frances). Then they might have done some research and found a "Camino de Santiago" guidebook, which would also feature the Camino Frances. Then they would go walk the Camino Frances. Then they might like it and want to walk it again. Or they might be inspired to try a different route. But the Camino Frances remained the foundation and received the bulk of the traffic.

Now, they hear about the Camino (maybe the Frances, but also maybe the Portugues or Ingles, or Norte or other route). And they come to a forum or group. And for sure there are some voices saying that the Frances is good for first-time pilgrims. But there are more voices, and more passionate voices, telling them to steer clear of that route.

 

[trecile]

. But there are more voices, and more passionate voices, telling them to steer clear of that route.

Sadly

 

[C clearly]

And for sure there are some voices saying that the Frances is good for first-time pilgrims. But there are more voices, and more passionate voices, telling them to steer clear of that route.

That is not my observation about people asking on the forum about the Frances for a first-timer. The passionate voices speak of the suitability of the Frances, but strongly point out a couple of important factors to be aware of.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Then, of course, there are the people who publish statistics without providing accurate context.

 

[Monasp]

Thank you.
Is there a weekly statistics graph for 2023? I'd like to see one that shows an entire year.

Weekly 2023

 

[PhilB]

From our real time experience walking the Camino Norte right now and having started in mid July, the numbers are high. Almost impossible to get accommodation. I thought the numbers would diminish once through Gijón - as walkers went back home after completing 2-3 weeks. Many told us they only had a few weeks to walk before their holidays ran out. As Aussies we don’t have the luxury of walking it in stages, we are here to the end!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'm in France again, and near to SJPP, and again the vast majority of people walking are intending to end there.

 

[youngcppspilgrim]

I wish that the SJPdP Pilgrim Office still published their statistics on their website, and I particularly liked the graph from the year that they showed the numbers week by week, like this one from 2017.

View attachment 175702

They do publish them on this site: https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/
Not sure why they don’t come up on the other site.

 

[trecile]

They do publish them on this site: https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/
Not sure why they don’t come up on the other site.

I'm talking about the statistics compiled by the pilgrim office in St Jean Pied de Port, not Santiago.