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Roman travel industry rejoices over American Pope
The prayers of the travel industry in Rome were answered yesterday, when the white smoke announced the election of a new Pope—who hails from Argentina.
Even before Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis, the city was preparing for 300,000 or more Catholics, tourists, clergy, and reporters. With the naming of the first-ever American Pope, that number is likely to rise.
Perillo Tours told NBCnews.com that hotel rates already are up about 20%. And in a traditionally slow month for the travel industry here, those indeed are pennies from heaven.
Joe Biden, the first Roman Catholic to hold the office of vice president of the United States, already is booked.
Argentina is both prosperous and religious, and Latin Americans as a whole make up fully 40% of the world’s Catholics.
"We’re rooting for an American pope," said a headline in La Reppubica on Tuesday. "The word around the Vatican is that an American is best" for the local tourism industry.
By Cheryl Rosen
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