Living in the Same but Different City. Evidence from Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

When talking about tourism in historic towns we forget that there are frequently other urban areas that firmly remain hidden from the tourist gaze. This duplicity, often favoured by public policies, does not just have very negative effects on the historic areas with, for example, impact on residential and commercial functions, but also on the tourists’ experience due to overcrowding. In this paper we will analyse this reality applied to the example of Santiago de Compostela. We will focus on the pressure exercised on fragile urban spaces while the city experienced by the local population proves to be invisible to tourists. Finally, we will make some proposals in order to improve the pilgrims’ urban experience as well as strengthening visitor loyalty.