Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica Sees a Massive Surge in Visitor Activity During Jubilee, Get the Details Here

Published on November 29, 2025

Rome, Italy – The ongoing 2025 Jubilee celebrations have increased tourism to St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, by 93%. During this Holy Jubilee Year, visitors are experiencing gourmet food offerings and theatrical portrayals of Catholic scripture. People from all over the world are visiting Rome, and the city is promoting itself as a destination for global tourism in the center of Catholicism and religious culture.

Millions of pilgrims have flocked to St. Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica’s tourism has led to over 2,700 Visitors and Destination Attractions (VADA). Lost in the data are the insights from Destination Management Predictive Modeling. During peak and real-time data demand periods, positive experience outcomes are captured and documented for all to see.

A Remarkable Surge in Visitor Activity

According to a detailed report from The Data Appeal Company, which analyzed thousands of reviews and digital traces, St. Peter’s Basilica recorded an impressive +93% growth in digital traces. The Sentiment Score, an indicator of visitor satisfaction, remained exceptionally high at 94.5/100, reflecting the Basilica’s pivotal role in the religious festivities. Much of this increase can be attributed to Jubilee pilgrims, who visited to partake in the sacred rite of crossing the Holy Door – a tradition unique to this period.

Alongside St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums also experienced a growth in visitor activity, with a +10% increase in digital traces and a 2.4-point rise in Sentiment Score, bringing it to 89.7/100. The figures are a testament to the power of cultural events in reshaping tourism and driving increased footfall to iconic landmarks.

Italy’s Religious Tourism Reimagined

The Jubilee has not only attracted Catholic pilgrims from around the globe but also redefined the dynamics of Rome’s tourism sector. Vatican City points of interest, including St. Peter’s Basilica, recorded a 33% increase in reviews and a 60% surge in the Popularity Index. These peaks in visitor activity were most notable during the Easter period and the summer months, especially from March to September. However, the tragic death of Pope Francis in late April led to a temporary closure of key Vatican sites, which slightly impacted the growth trajectory.

Despite this, the overall impact of the Jubilee celebrations was transformative for the city. As Mirko Lalli, CEO of The Data Appeal Company, notes, “The data confirms that the Jubilee acted as a strong symbolic magnet while also accelerating innovation in how the city manages flows, expectations, and visitor experiences.”

Rising International Interest in Rome

While Italy remains the largest source market for reviews of Rome’s attractions, other countries with strong Catholic traditions saw significant increases in visitor engagement. For instance, Argentina, Poland, Mexico, and Canada all reported notable growth in digital traces, with Argentina seeing a 29.2% increase in mentions. Meanwhile, Germany and France showed declines in activity, likely due to economic conditions in Central Europe.

Interestingly, solo travellers emerged as a significant demographic during the Jubilee, now making up 15% of all reviews. This shift in traveller profiles, primarily driven by domestic tourism, highlights Rome’s growing appeal to individual visitors, not just families and couples.

Impact on Tourism and Accommodation

The surge in tourism also reshaped the accommodation landscape. Despite some initial fears of inflated prices, the report found that accommodation rates remained largely stable, with a modest decline in hotel prices (-7%). At the same time, demand for more affordable options, such as hostels and campsites, saw a sharp rise (+27%), reflecting a broader trend toward flexible, budget-friendly stays among pilgrims and tourists alike.

This shift also speaks to a wider redistribution of demand across the city. Although traditional hotels retained a large share of bookings, the growing popularity of hostels and budget accommodations signaled a change in how visitors were planning their stays, particularly for those attending the Jubilee.

Cultural Focus and Visitor Experience

The Jubilee year also revealed a strong preference for cultural experiences over leisure and dining. While dining and entertainment sectors saw declines in engagement, with dining mentions dropping by 19%, the attractions sector saw a +26% increase in mentions and a positive Sentiment Score of 91.3/100. This trend underlines how global events like the Jubilee can refocus visitor attention on historical, religious, and cultural experiences, rather than purely leisure-driven travel.

The report highlighted the importance of maintaining visitor satisfaction through strategic management of crowd flows, safety, and service quality. For Rome, this meant ensuring that even with higher-than-usual numbers of tourists, the city remained accessible, well-organized, and welcoming.

Lessons for Future Large-Scale Events

Insights from Rome’s Jubilee advance planning and preparation for large-scale events i.e. religious or cultural events or sporting events, can be useful for other destinations. In the words of Lalli, “The key to a large-scale event is listening in the moment, planning in real-time with data, and orchestrating all the moving pieces.” Rome teaches other cities how to avoid burnout and work efficiently in the planning of large-scale events with data-informed decision-making, real-time planning, and inter-sector harmonization.