SJPDP pilgrim office statistics for this year to April

[Bradypus]

@Monasp has just posted two tables of statistics from the SJPDP pilgrim office on their Facebook account. Numbers of different nationalities recorded so far this year: the USA being the largest group, closely followed by Koreans, with France some way behind in third place. Also a table giving numbers recorded in the first four months of this year compared with previous years. Numbers slightly down in January compared with 2023 but showing increases in February, March and April.

Bureau d'accueil des pèlerins de St Jacques de St Jean Pied de Port | Classement par importance des 89 nationalités différentes passées au bureau durant les 4 premiers mois de 2024 | Facebook

Classement par importance des 89 nationalités différentes passées au bureau durant les 4 premiers mois de 2024

www.facebook.com

Bureau d'accueil des pèlerins de St Jacques de St Jean Pied de Port | Statistiques des passages de pèlerins à notre bureau durant les 4 premiers mois de l'année 2024 | Facebook

Statistiques des passages de pèlerins à notre bureau durant les 4 premiers mois de l'année 2024

www.facebook.com

 

[J Willhaus]

I don't do Facebook so it says I can't see the tables...

 

[Kathar1na]

I don't do Facebook so it says I can't see the tables...

That's correct. You need to sign up to Facebook to see the information that people share on Facebook.

 

[Bradypus]

I don't do Facebook so it says I can't see the tables...

Screenshots of the top of the nationalities list and the entire monthly totals comparison table. From the Facebook links above.

 

[Steven Dwyer]

I had put together the below charts on the Portugese Camino for one of the Facebook group. The first (with purple border) is for January through March. The second is the month of April and Total January through April. It is possible to see the effect of Easter which this year fell in March while in 2023 it fell in April.

 

[Bradypus]

An article has just appeared on a Navarra news website about pilgrim numbers in the area this year and making particular mention of the Roncesvalles albergue. Quite a few numbers quoted there too with some interesting difference from the SJPDP statistics.

Floración de peregrinos en Navarra

Desde el 1 de enero y hasta el 30 de abril, 10.194 personas han sellado su credencial en Roncesvalles, un 2,6% más que en el mismo periodo del año pasado, y el mejor arranque de temporada desde 2017

www.noticiasdenavarra.com

 

[Pafayac]

the USA being the largest group,

The Way effect ?

closely followed by Koreans,

TV realty-show effect ?

with France some way behind in third place.

Estrella effect ?

 

[Kathar1na]

@Bradypus, did you see this recent headline when Professor Dunn from the Henderson State University received an International Aymeric Picaud prize from a Spanish association of journalists specialising in writing about the Camino de Santiago?

Maryjane Dunn: "El Camino de Santiago se extiende como un incendio en Estados Unidos"

La profesora e investigadora recibre el Premio Internacional Aymeric Picaud, otorgado por la Liga de Asociaciones de Periodistas del Camino de Santiago francés

www.noticiasdenavarra.com

“And curently, she said in her speech, the Camino de Santiago is spreading “like wildfire in the United States”.”

Definitely still a growth market …

 

[Kathar1na]

closely followed by Koreans

This “nationality ranking” will change as the year progresses.

For those who wonder about the noticeable presence and percentage of pilgrims from Korea on the Camino during the winter month, a forum member from Korea gave this explanation: “We prefer the spring for the camino like you, but we Koreans have the longest break in the winter like about 2 months vacation of colleges.”

Camino pilgrims from Korea tend to be on the younger side of the spectrum unlike our lot who are, let us say, more middle-aged or “more mature” and have time for the Camino all year round and every year.

 

[Bradypus]

“And curently, she said in her speech, the Camino de Santiago is spreading “like wildfire in the United States”.”

I think that in most respects the influence of that Martin Sheen movie on the growth of numbers on the Caminos is often exaggerated. But in the specific case of the numbers of Americans walking Caminos I think it is very true. The earliest breakdown of nationalities receiving Compostelas I have seen is from 1987 when about 1.3% that year were American. The pilgrim office online statistics page has figures back to 2003. The percentage of American pilgrims remained fairly consistently between 1% and 2% until 2012 - one year after the general release of the film in the US, Canada and the UK. Since then numbers have risen sharply so that now pilgrims from the US form the largest single non-Spanish nationality who receive Compostelas. Of course by now the impact of the film may be second or even third hand as returning pilgrims have spread the word.

 

[Kathar1na]

by now the impact of the film may be second or even third hand as returning pilgrims have spread the word

I have of course no access to any "hard facts". My impression is that social media like Twitter and Facebook and news media are major factors for fuelling current growth. The Camino de Santiago has become a Travel Section item.

I had a look on Google News just now. The Camino de Santiago features in Europe’s best long-distance hiking trails (CNN, 2 days ago), The Camino is famous for miracles. It transformed this actor (Sydney Morning Herald, 2 days ago), Mercedes students walk path of pilgrims (Yahoo News, 5 days ago), a news item including mention of Andrew McCarthy's book (AOL.com, 4 days ago), Neighbors helping neighbors: A pilgrimage for Parkinson’s (Cape Gazette/Delaware, 1 month ago), Pilgrimages aren't just spiritual anymore. They're a workout. (National Geographic, 4 weeks ago).

And this it just a tiny selection of the current offer of news items for the Camino de Santiago. I guess that one can probably say that barely a day passes when Spain's Camino de Santiago does not feature on global news somewhere.

 

[Kathar1na]

Floración de peregrinos en Navarra

Desde el 1 de enero y hasta el 30 de abril, 10.194 personas han sellado su credencial en Roncesvalles, un 2,6% más que en el mismo periodo del año pasado, y el mejor arranque de temporada desde 2017

www.noticiasdenavarra.com

I noticed the pie chart about motivation in the article about Roncesvalles only now.

How do they know? Do they ask for it at check in or is this some estimate or some sample survey? Do these data indeed refer to people getting a stamp and getting registered at Roncesvalles during Jan-April 2024?

 

[Bradypus]

I noticed the pie chart about motivation in the article about Roncesvalles only now.

I just looked at the Roncesvalles statistics from 1987 that you found and posted several years ago. A remarkable change - not just in total numbers but also in the way people identified themselves and their motivations. I'd love to see how people identify themselves by religion/denomination these days but I don't think anyone records that now. I'm fairly sure there would be more than one solitary Sans religion...

 

[Kailua920]

I don't do Facebook so it says I can't see the tables...

I don’t like FB either. Is there a way you can screen capture the data table and post it here? Thank you!

 

[Bradypus]

I don’t like FB either. Is there a way you can screen capture the data table and post it here? Thank you!

Already done - in post #4 above