Pope Francis’ funeral could spur tourism spike among Americans headed to Rome

Pope Francis’ funeral is expected to draw a large number of travelers to Rome, creating a surge in demand for flights and accommodations. Following the pontiff’s death, searches for flights to Rome on travel booking site Expedia.com increased by 250% in just three days, compared to the same period in the previous year. Additionally, searches for lodging in Rome have also seen a significant uptick of 35% for the same dates.

While Americans are predominantly driving the spike in travel searches to Rome, global interest from other countries has also increased by 125% for the week. Expedia travel expert Melanie Fish noted that this sudden surge in travel demand is unprecedented and extends beyond just flight searches, with accommodation searches also on the rise.

Scott Keyes, founder and CEO of flight deals website Going.com, reported a nearly threefold increase in search interest for travel to Rome following the pope’s passing. However, the surge in demand has led to a 33% increase in airfares for flights from the U.S. to Rome departing between April 22-25 and returning April 27-30.

According to Fish, ticket prices are expected to continue rising as the funeral date approaches, as airlines are unable to immediately add more capacity to accommodate the increased demand. This may result in crowded flights and further price spikes leading up to the event.