Analysis of social carrying capacity of the French Way for the Camino de Santiago: a quantitative approach

Abstract

The Camino de Santiago’s French Way is more heavily transited by visitors and tourists than any other route associated with the iconic pilgrimage. Nowadays, the number of tourists who opt to walk this route is on the rise, voices have been raised in alarm at the excessive influx of tourists. The goal of this essay is to analyze the social carrying capacity of Camino de Santiago’s. The results revealed by our quantitative analysis have allowed us to determine that the Camino de Santiago’s French Way is overcrowded and reveal problems and early changes that may affect the itinerary in the long run.