Green Pilgrimage supporting natural and cultural heritage
The continued fragility of Europe’s economy means that growth and development policies often take precedence over environmental policies, threatening our cultural and natural heritage assets.  Green Pilgrimage (GP) is an innovative project which will show how growth and development policies can economically exploit AND protect natural and cultural heritage. Key to this is our focus on the power of pilgrimage- recognized today as one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry (UNWTO, 2015) with more than 300 million pilgrims every year. 

Ancient pilgrim routes such as The Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, report an annual 10% increase in numbers, particularly among non-religious.  Harnessing this increased popularity to protect natural and cultural heritage is a common challenge faced by those responsible for Europe’s major pilgrimage routes. GP will show policy makers how to protect natural and cultural heritage whilst developing jobs and growth along pilgrim routes through developing low impact tourism, digitalization, pilgrim accommodation and strengthening local traditions. This reconnects pilgrims with their environment, landscape and culture. 

Policy influence will increase pilgrimage across Europe through creating a greater awareness of its benefits.  GP will hold exchanges and workshops on sustainable pilgrimage promotion, pilgramage tourism impact, environmental protection and European best practice. 

The main beneficiaries will be government, local communities and businesses on Europe’s main pilgrim routes and management groups safeguarding our natural and cultural assets. The project’s advisory partner, The European Green Pilgrimage Network, will ensure that the indirect beneficiaries of the project are the major pilgrimage routes and destinations of Europe and, working with the support of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, the project’s findings will also benefit the diverse 33 certified Cultural Routes of Europe.