Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 101

the largest tourist gatherings in the world being of a religious or spiritual
nature (e.g. kumbh mela and the hajj). Increasing numbers of Muslim pil-
grims desire to undertake the hajj, and pilgrimage among Buddhists, Hindus
and Christians, as well as many other religions, is increasing in popularity as
an outward way of showing devotion to deity (Stausberg, 2011; Timothy &
Olsen, 2006). A great deal of the ritualization and humbling of pilgrimage
travel is connected directly to trails.
Given that much scholarly work on trails has focused on supply over
demand, there exist relatively few studies that explicitly examine demand
for certain types of trails and routes. There are some exceptions to this,
however. First, Eby and Molnar's (2002) study is one of the few to examine
demand for scenic routes and byways. Research on scenic route use suggests
that distance, directness of route, potential congestion and safety are the
most influential factors affecting travelers' decision-making processes.
Secondary factors include the pleasantness of the route and whether or not

Case Study: Participation in the Camino De Santiago
As Chapter 2 noted, many pilgrimage paths have become focal tourist
attractions. The pilgrimage way of Santiago de Compostela (the Way of
Saint James, or the Camino de Santiago) is one such attraction (Fernandes
et al. , 2012). In 2012, approximately 192,488 sojourners completed
enough of the Camino de Santiago to be 'official' pilgrims, as defined in
Chapter 2 (i.e. having their compostela stamped and recorded at the end
of the route) (Table 4.6). Some 86% of pilgrims traveled the trail by foot,
followed at a significant distance by bicycle and horseback. Santiago
pilgrims came from 133 different countries in 2012, with domestic
Spanish tourists comprising nearly half (Table 4.7). Other nationalities
were from Europe, North America and South America.

Table 4.6 Pilgrims' mode of transportation on the Way of St James to Santiago de
Compostela

Transport
mode

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Foot 76,674 81,783 93,953 103,669 120,605 237,852 153,065 164,778

Bicycle 16,985 18,289 19,702 21,143 24,892 32,926 29,949 27,407

Horse 242 294 364 290 341 1315 341 281

Wheelchair 23 11 7 39 39 42 11 22

Total 93,924 100,377 114,026 125,141 145,877 272,135 183,366 192,488

Source: Compiled from Ofi cina del Peregrino (2006-2013).

( Continued )