Rome – “Over 5,5 million is the estimate of pilgrims who have already arrived in Rome for the Jubilee of Hope in the first five months of 2025. And 1 million are expected for the Jubilee of Youth and World Youth Day, scheduled between July 28 and August 3.”
The data emerge from research carried out by Ce.RTA – Research Centre on Television and Audiovisuals on the media narrative of the Jubilee of Hope and on how spiritual or religious tourism can be understood today.
The research, which highlights the "relevance of Jubilee 2025 for the city of Rome and, more generally, for the regional and national territory," was presented today in Rome at the event "Jubilee 2025. Spiritual Travel Practices and their Impact on Territories," organized by Cattolica per il Turismo, with Ce.RTA and Publitalia '80. The event took place in the Sala Italia of the Europa Congress Center at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
The Four Dimensions of the Jubilee – The Jubilee 2025, which in its first five months aligns with the previous Holy Year in terms of travelers involved, generates an impact on “four different and related dimensions,” the researchers said.
On Rome, with its five holy doors (the four basilicas and that of the Rebibbia prison), destinations of pilgrimages. Then, the 'physical' network of the neighboring territories that are involved in religious, spiritual or cultural trips, in the Lazio Region but also outside of Viterbo and Tuscia (15% of foreign tourists in museums), Naples (4 million tourists expected from Rome), Umbria (in the first quarter of 2025 presences growing by 8%) and Assisi (218 thousand presences)”.
Another dimension is the technological and 'virtual' network: thanks to tools, including the WebApp Cammini della fede, which facilitates the journeys of the faithful, there is the possibility of booking sacred visits and tourist itineraries in the Vatican via the web;
the virtual assistant Julia, which helps pilgrims in their visit to Rome, and the possibility of visiting St. Peter's thanks to virtual reality. Finally, the media dimension of the story of the Jubilee, which "must be evaluated in terms of a long-term tourist impact on the territories, even after the conclusion of the Holy Year".
Jubilee, religious meaning and tourist impact – There are ten 'frames of meaning' for the Jubilee 2025, that is, the various ways of interpreting the story of the Holy Year with which the media have narrated the event so far.
In particular, the investigation highlights the 'social', 'economic', as well as 'salvific' and 'identitary' dimensions, both of which are frames of meaning linked to the Christian and Catholic nature of the Holy Year.
In the Italian media, the prevailing narratives are 'religious', which considers the Jubilee as a moment of spiritual importance, 'informative', which considers it as an event to be told and explained even to those who do not know its meaning, and 'adversative', which considers the Holy Year as an event that impacts the territories, sometimes even causing critical issues.
Traveler models – The research has outlined four traveler models: the hermit, dedicated to a contemplative and meditative holiday, in search of a connection between spirituality and nature; the pilgrim, who undertakes a devotional itinerary, as a renewal of faith shared with others; the enthusiast, who faces the journey as an opportunity for fun; the mindful explorer, who seeks experiences of exclusivity and authenticity, occasions of privileged contact with the places he encounters.
In November 2025 new outputs of the research on the Jubilee - The study will continue with a quantitative survey on a sample of Italian and European travelers who have gone to Rome in view of the Jubilee or who intend to do so: among the objectives, the value and meaning of the spiritual journey will be analyzed, weighing the four figures of 'spiritual traveler', to discover with other forms of tourism (cultural, food and wine, sports, green) and map places, destinations, experiences of the Jubilee and beyond. The results of the entire work will be presented at the Catholic University in November 2025.
It is interesting that we are talking about the Jubilee 2025 and its impacts. But I wonder if the estimates on pilgrims are realistic, considering the current situation we live in and the difficulties of travel. It will be important to monitor these dynamics.