On April 25, 2025, history was made when Carlos Alberto Garcia Villarreal from Mexico completed the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and became the 10,000th DUAL PILGRIM! Congratulations!
Everyone was very excited and happy! Carlos received some gifts and a purification ceremony at the Kumano Hongu Taisha, with greetings by the Head Priest. It was a truly memorable event, and we look forward to celebrating and honoring the next 10,000 DUAL PILGRIMS!
On May 13th, 2014, Tanabe City (Japan) and Santiago de Compostela City (Spain) signed a Tourism Partnership Cities agreement, aiming to promote sustainable tourism and to share pilgrimage culture with the world.
Building on this unique partnership, on Feb 1st, 2015 the DUAL PILGRIM initiative began. A “Dual Pilgrim” is someone who has walked both the Kumano Kodo and the Way of St.James (Camino de Santiago). This program was developed to celebrate, honor, and share the stories of those who have completed both UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes.
Video from Local News Outlet
Comments
Tanabe City
We celebrate reaching 10,000 Dual Pilgrims after 10 years and 2 months, and express sincere hope that the exchange will lead to greater regional development and sustainable tourism.
Kumano Hongu Taisha
Congratulations Carlos Galicia! We wish for more pilgrims to walk both sacred paths and start new chapters in their lives.
Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau
The thousand-year histories of both pilgrimages have now entered a new flourishing period thanks to their World Heritage status, and we pledge to nurture this project into the future.