The French Camino de Santiago, as it passes through Castilla y León, has 70 black spots located at intersections of different roads and which need to be corrected with the help of all administrations. This was revealed today by the general director of Tourism of Castilla y León, and commissioner of the Caminos a Santiago, Ángel González Pieras, during the inauguration of the First International Seminar on Safety on the French Camino de Santiago that is being held today and tomorrow in Villafranca del Bierzo, with the participation of 250 people who will address the different aspects related to pilgrim safety.
"Safety on the Camino is very important, in two senses: on the one hand for the pilgrim and on the other for the goods that make it up," said González.
Regarding walkers, the Master Plan detected those 70 black points that need to be worked on, along with improving signage.
The general director also explained that since 2014, the presence of female pilgrims on the Jacobean Route has increased by ten points. "It is essential to protect those most vulnerable segments," he indicated. 
On the other hand, the surveys also detected the importance that mobile phones have today. "They are an ideal instrument to control and promote safety on the Camino," he added.
Overnight stays have also increased a lot, "which indicates that the Camino de Santiago is an increasingly growing pilgrimage route," González said.
The general director of Tourism also called on the central government to declare the next Jacobeo, which will be held in 2027, as an 'Event of exceptional public interest' after learning of some information indicating that it will not occur. "If it is true, it would be very worrying because it breaks a tradition and that statement is very important for the private initiative to get involved," said González Pieras.
For his part, the subdelegate of the Government in León, Héctor Aláiz, explained that in 2024 more than 41,000 pilgrims passed through the Camino de Santiago in the province. «The security part is very important, especially in the summer season, when the number of pilgrims increases. That is when the Civil Guard increases its device and is reinforced with the Mobile Pilgrim Assistance Office and the Valdemoro Cavalry group.
While the lieutenant colonel of the General Staff of the Civil Guard, Miguel Cañellas, highlighted the importance of this seminar where all issues related to security will be addressed. «The Camino de Santiago is very safe and accessible. We invite all disabled people to tour it,” he said.
Regarding security challenges, Cañellas indicated that new technologies are now essential. «There has been a positive evolution in safety on the road and we will discuss all of this here. We have made a very important effort to make it accessible to everyone," he explained.
«We have evolved with society and the demands of pilgrims, both national and international. Nowadays, new technologies must be used in favor of the citizen and we have given great importance to international pilgrims having representation from their national police," he remarked.
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