Rome expects 30 to 35 million Jubilee visitors
The upcoming Rome Jubilee is expected to see a significant influx of tourists to the Eternal City. Various estimates put the expected number of visitors at anywhere from 30 to 35 million people during the Jubilee Holy Year.
On August 23, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said that when the Jubilee Year begins, Rome will be ready to welcome 100,000 tourists per day. He said as part of the overall renovations and work taking place to prepare, the city has purchased over 1,000 new buses for the public transport system and replaced all the tracks in the subway system, which were 15 years overdue for replacement.
The Jubilee Year officially starts on December 24, 2024 when Pope Francis will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s, which is only opened every 25 years during a Jubilee. The holy year runs through all of 2025, ending with the closing of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on January 9, 2026.
The theme for this Jubilee is “Peregrinantes in Spem”—Pilgrims in Hope. Pope Francis issued the official “Bull of Indiction” for the Jubilee and titled it “Spes Non Confundit”—Hope Does Not Disappoint (Romans 5:5). “During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind,” Pope Francis wrote. “May the Christian community always be prepared to defend the rights of those who are most vulnerable, opening wide its doors to welcome them, lest anyone ever be robbed of the hope of a better future.”