On the hunt for the Holy Grail. Does it exist and will tourists go searching for it? This week on Leaders of Travel, I speak to man putting together a Holy Grail tourism route.
Today we’re going looking for the Holy Grail. When I hear something like that, I always think of Indiana Jones and that scene in the Last Crusade where he has to choose a chalice and he goes for the simple one, because that is what Jesus would of used.
Of course, the real stories – and yes, there are multiple stories – are much more complicated than that. But the Holy Grail is certainly something that has captured the imagination of people for hundreds of years.
Now, a group of countries in Europe is putting together a Holy Grail route. This is essentially a way to travel through the continent and see different sites that relate to the various legends. In some cases, it may mean finding a physical object – an actual grail. In other cases, it’s a bit more about legends.
Professor Paul Fidgeon from the University of West London has the task of pulling this all together. I find it fascinating from a historical perspective, about how you tell the tale through actual places. But there are also some really interesting aspects from a tourism point of view. Does this open up regions that people don’t normally travel to, for instance.
How can you do travel this for yourself and what would you find on the search for the Holy Grail? Well, let’s find out!
I’ll be back next week with the man in charge of tourism for Spain. Now that’s a big job. We’ll be talking about some of the challenges the country faces and some undiscovered gems for you.
Until then, my name is Michael Turtle from the travel blog Time Travel Turtle, and you’ve been listening to Leaders of Travel.
