Residents of the Last Kilometer of the Camino de Santiago Denounce “Disneyland for Pilgrims”
Santiago de Compostela. While the Camino de Santiago breaks attendance records, with almost half a million visitors expected for this year, the residents who live on the last kilometer of the French Way in Santiago de Compostela they denounce living under a constant pressure of uninterrupted noise 24 hours a day. They claim that the situation is expelling them from their homes and that life in what they consider a "theme park" has become unsustainable.
All the Jacobean routes culminate in Santiago de Compostela, consolidated as the third holy city of Christianity after Jerusalem and Rome. Just before reaching the iconic Plaza del Obradoiro, on the final stretch of the French Way, resides a dwindling community of neighbors who every day observe the incessant parade of pilgrims. In 2023 alone, more than 200,000 people They passed by the window Ivan Lago, one of the residents of the area, who frustratedly laments that "living here is very difficult, especially in the summer months and at Easter."
“We Are Part of the Set”: The Exhaustion of the Neighbors
Lago's description is eloquent and bitter: «I always say that this is Disneyland for pilgrims. We are like Mickey Mouse or the princess of the park: part of the decoration. Nobody cares about our rest, or our life. For many, this is just a theme park. Their complaint is not isolated and joins that of the few residents who still cling to their homes in the historic center. Patience is exhausted by the noise that does not stop, coming from groups arriving at all hours, spontaneous celebrations, and the constant coming and going of people.
The situation is critical, according to Lago, who assures that "They are kicking us out: 80% of the residents of the center have already left". This dramatic reduction in the local population in the heart of the holy city reveals the less friendly side of an unprecedented tourist success.
While residents fight for their quality of life, the Santiago de Compostela City Council anticipates that this year the Cathedral Square will receive half a million tourists, a figure that is five times the influx of just two decades ago. This exponential growth, although it benefits the local economy, poses a serious challenge for coexistence and the preservation of the residential character of a historic and emblematic area. The city faces the challenge of balancing tourist attraction with the well-being of its inhabitants.
