By Tamara Guirao, CAAC Coordinator
Last July 25th Santiago de Compostela, CAAC member and former president between 2007 and 2009, celebrated its yearly local day, known in Galician as “Festas do Apóstolo” (Apostle holidays) This celebration commemorates Saint James in a “International Celebration of Tourism Interest” that lasts for a couple of weeks.
It is also worth to recall that the way of Saint James constitutes the inland backbone of the Atlantic Arc, the vector of transmission of culture and exchange among the Atlantic peoples since the Middle Ages. In this sense, the project ULTREIA (INTERREG IVB ATLANTIC AREA) promoted cultural and religious sustainable tourism related to the maritime and inland routes towards Compostela by means of two essential cores: the development of tourist Agendas 21 and the creation of a network of Atlantic Regions which develops tourist products on a common Atlantic cultural context related to the maritime and inland pilgrimages towards Compostela.
Last but not least, the international stance of Compostela as an Atlantic Arc City that opens Europe to the world was supported by 98th UNWTO Executive Council taking place in Compostela the first week of June. In this sense, the 1st International Congress on Pilgrimages and Tourism will also take place in the capital of Galicia in September.