26/02/2024 The tourist offices of the Monforte City Council; Tourism Office, Pilgrim Assistance Office and Homage Tower of San Vicente, reach in 2023 the best data in recent years in terms of people served, in addition to the figures of 2021 with the coronavirus tourism boom.
The data relating to the people served at the Tourist Office of the Monforte City Council, per year, are the following:
- In 2017: 14,922 people.
- In 2018: 14,851
- In 2019: 15,237
- In 2020: 9,127
- In 2021: 20,454
- Year 2022: 17,115
- Year 2023: 18,395
Percentage-wise, 7.47% more visitors were served in 2023 than in 2022 (1,280 more people). If we go back to the years prior to the pandemic, in 2023 20.72% more people are served than in 2019 (3,158 more people), 23.86% more than in 2018 (+ 3,544). In the incidence by month, June to October stands out. In 2023, the 13,899 people assisted in these 4 months stand out: 1,167 people in June, 3,035 in July, 5,466 in August, 2,636 in September and 1,595 in October. In terms of origins, Madrid is the community that contributed the most tourists in all months, followed by Asturias, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Galicia. Regarding international tourism, France occupies first place in terms of visitors, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The Pilgrim Office opened its doors in September 2021. Before its opening, pilgrims were attended to at the Tourism Office. The increase in visits in 2023 compared to 2022 stands out, as 1,295 more people were served, 157% more. Compared to 2021, 348 more people were treated, 20% more.
The Pilgrim's Office records both the attention to pilgrims who come to seal their Compostela or to request information, as well as the attention to people interested in learning about the Winter Way.
In 2023, of those 2,120 people assisted, 821 were specifically pilgrims and 1,299 were people requesting information about the Winter Way. In both cases, the acceptance and appreciation of the Pilgrim's Office is very notable. Regarding origins, at the national level Asturias, the Basque Country, Burgos and Catalonia stand out. At the international level, Italy, France and Australia are the main countries of origin. The months with the highest influx of pilgrims in 2023 were October (124), May (121), September (118), August (100) and July (96).
Homage Tower
The data is also very significant: 16,576 people visited the tower in 2023, compared to 13,429 people in 2022. That is, 3,147 more people, which is 23.43% more. Regarding the origins, the main issuing Communities are Madrid, the Basque Country, Asturias, Galicia and Valencia. In terms of international tourism, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Portugal are the countries that contributed the most visitors. By month, in 2023, the most notable figures correspond to the April-October period, with figures such as 2,619 visitors received in April, 2,525 in July or 3,854 in August.
Monforte de Lemos and the Ribeira Sacra are in fashion and constitute one of the main tourist destinations in the interior of Galicia, as the mayor highlights, “the enormous cultural, gastronomic, heritage and tourist potential of Monforte de Lemos and the Ribeira Sacra, are obtaining excellent tourist influx figures. I am sure that in this year 2024, if this upward trend continues, we will once again reach historical figures, in which our great events such as the Carnival, the Medieval Fair, the Wine Festival or our Patron Saint Festivities and the Summer Program, among other events, will contribute decisively to attracting visitors and tourists to Monforte.”