With less than 24 hours before Pope Leo XIV seals the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on 6 January, Vatican officials have released their final mobility-related statistics for the 2025 Jubilee of Hope—and the numbers eclipse even the most optimistic forecasts. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, 5 January, Archbishop Rino Fisichella announced that 33 475 369 pilgrims from 185 countries made their way to Rome between 24 December 2024 and 5 January 2026, surpassing the Roma Tre University projection of 31 million.
The city’s transport and accommodation ecosystem operated at near-Olympic intensity for 54 consecutive weeks. Rome’s municipal mobility agency recorded 97 million additional passenger journeys on buses and metro lines, while Trenitalia ran 480 extra long-distance trains to Termini and Tiburtina during peak holy-year weekends. Fiumicino airport added a dedicated “Pilgrim Fast Lane”, processing an average 8 000 arrivals per day. Hoteliers reported average occupancy rates of 89 %, and short-term rental supply expanded by 15 % year-on-year, according to data provider AirDNA.
For global-mobility teams the Jubilee offered a living stress-test of large-scale event logistics. Corporates hosting conferences in Rome faced hotel-rate spikes of 35 % and had to move meetings to secondary cities such as Bologna and Naples. Immigration lawyers reported a 22 % uptick in urgent Schengen visa requests from faith-based NGOs whose staff were unexpectedly invited to ceremonies.
![Jubilee Year Draws 33 Million Pilgrims to Rome Ahead of Holy Door Closure]()
For anyone still needing last-minute documentation, VisaHQ can simplify the process: its Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets travelers and corporate coordinators complete Schengen visa applications online, upload supporting files, and track approvals in real time, with specialists on hand to navigate the Jubilee’s compressed timelines.
Looking ahead, Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the city will institutionalise the “Metodo Giubileo” rapid-coordination model—daily huddles between city hall, transport operators and the Holy See—to manage the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics visitor surge. Meanwhile, the Vatican confirmed that the final group to cross the threshold on 5 January would be volunteers and Dicastery staff, symbolically ‘closing the circle’ for those who kept the city moving.
Travellers planning to witness Tuesday’s closing Mass should expect tight security zones around St Peter’s Square from 06:00 and mandatory airport-style screening. The Questura di Roma has issued a notice banning large luggage and restricting vehicular access on Via della Conciliazione; coach drop-offs are being rerouted to Aurelia. Tour operators advise rail transfers where possible, as several streets will become pedestrian-only for the ceremony.
The city’s transport and accommodation ecosystem operated at near-Olympic intensity for 54 consecutive weeks. Rome’s municipal mobility agency recorded 97 million additional passenger journeys on buses and metro lines, while Trenitalia ran 480 extra long-distance trains to Termini and Tiburtina during peak holy-year weekends. Fiumicino airport added a dedicated “Pilgrim Fast Lane”, processing an average 8 000 arrivals per day. Hoteliers reported average occupancy rates of 89 %, and short-term rental supply expanded by 15 % year-on-year, according to data provider AirDNA.
For global-mobility teams the Jubilee offered a living stress-test of large-scale event logistics. Corporates hosting conferences in Rome faced hotel-rate spikes of 35 % and had to move meetings to secondary cities such as Bologna and Naples. Immigration lawyers reported a 22 % uptick in urgent Schengen visa requests from faith-based NGOs whose staff were unexpectedly invited to ceremonies.
For anyone still needing last-minute documentation, VisaHQ can simplify the process: its Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) lets travelers and corporate coordinators complete Schengen visa applications online, upload supporting files, and track approvals in real time, with specialists on hand to navigate the Jubilee’s compressed timelines.
Looking ahead, Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the city will institutionalise the “Metodo Giubileo” rapid-coordination model—daily huddles between city hall, transport operators and the Holy See—to manage the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics visitor surge. Meanwhile, the Vatican confirmed that the final group to cross the threshold on 5 January would be volunteers and Dicastery staff, symbolically ‘closing the circle’ for those who kept the city moving.
Travellers planning to witness Tuesday’s closing Mass should expect tight security zones around St Peter’s Square from 06:00 and mandatory airport-style screening. The Questura di Roma has issued a notice banning large luggage and restricting vehicular access on Via della Conciliazione; coach drop-offs are being rerouted to Aurelia. Tour operators advise rail transfers where possible, as several streets will become pedestrian-only for the ceremony.
