Nové trendy Svatojakubské poutní cesty

This Master thesis focuses on the current status of the Way of St. James and the possibilities of its development. The thesis describes current state of contemporary faith based tourism, pilgrimage traditions and modern pilgrims. Paper analyzes historical development and present days of St. James pilgrimage and its importance within the European cultural heritage. It describes the different routes and their position within the interconnected system of St. James routes. The main practical part analyzes trends in the conception of St. James pilgrimage in recent years in terms of preferred means of transport, motivation to pilgrimage, and demographic characteristics of pilgrims. The thesis follows changes and trends of recent years including interconnection of individual routes across Europe, the importance of marketing tools use in promoting pathways, and connection with developments in modern technology.