The Calatrava Passion Route Has Been Designated a Festival of International Tourist Interest
03 Oct 2026 · 11:27
The Calatrava Passion Route has been officially designated a Festival of International Tourist Interest, a recognition granted by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism that places this Holy Week celebration among the country’s most prestigious cultural and religious events. This distinction represents a significant boost for the promotion of tourism and culture in the Campo de Calatrava region and recognizes the collaborative efforts made over the years by the ten municipalities that make up this unique route.
The celebration brings together the towns of Almagro, Aldea del Rey, Bolaños de Calatrava, Calzada de Calatrava, Granátula de Calatrava, Miguelturra, Moral de Calatrava, Pozuelo de Calatrava, Torralba de Calatrava, and Valenzuela de Calatrava. Between Holy Wednesday and Easter Sunday, residents and visitors can explore a unique itinerary that combines tradition, heritage, popular religious devotion, and historical reenactments, making the region one of Spain’s leading Holy Week tourism destinations.
The designation highlights a centuries-old tradition rooted in the ancient brotherhoods of La Vera Cruz and in the customs that developed in the territory of the Order of Calatrava beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries. Over the years, this cultural heritage has successfully preserved such distinctive elements as the processions of the “armaos,” reenactments of the Arrest of Christ, the Stations of the Cross, and other events that together form a unique and distinct identity.
This new international recognition comes after the Calatrava Passion Route was designated a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 2016, consolidating a trajectory of growth that has made the celebration a benchmark of the intangible heritage of Castilla-La Mancha and a major driver of tourism development for the entire region.
With this distinction, the Calatrava Passion Route strengthens its international profile and ushers in a new era for continuing to attract national and international visitors, showcasing to the world a Holy Week marked by tradition, fervor, history, and the participation of thousands of people who keep alive one of the most unique cultural legacies of the Campo de Calatrava.