ROME â€" The tourism industry here is mulling the possible ramifications of the Vatican conclave and some are crossing their fingers for the election of an American pope.
The prospect of an influx of dollar-spending pilgrims would offer a welcome boost for an industry whose interest in the choice of next pontiff is understandably more secular than it is spiritual.
“We’re rooting for an American pope,†La Reppublica headlined a report on Tuesday that quoted tourism sector workers who anticipated the positive impact on visitor numbers.
“The word around the Vatican is that an American is best,†according to the daily.
Hotel bookings went up more than 10 percent after Benedict XVI announced on February 11 that he was stepping down, providing an unanticipated boost in the tourism low season. One travel site reported a 60 percent increase in inquiries from his native Germany.
The 5,000 foreign journalists who have flown in for the conclave, as well as clergy from around the world, account for much of the immediate rise in visitor numbers.
The longer term effect on tourism, however, will likely depend on the nationality as well as the personality of Benedict’s successor.
“If it’s a pope from New Guinea, there probably wouldn’t be a big influx,†according to Giuseppe Roscioli of the Federalberghi hoteliers’ association.
“If, on the other hand, it’s a South American, or a Canadian or a European, there would certainly be a bigger influx,†he told Il Sussidiario, a news Web site.
After the boom years of the superstar papacy of Pope John Paul II, Rome’s religious tourism suffered leaner times during the reign of his less charismatic German successor, which coincided with the economic downturn.
Pictures of the late Polish pope still dominate souvenir stalls on the streets of Rome and the Vatican, alongside those of Benedict XVI.
Hoteliers looking for additional foreign visitors would prefer that the next pope is not an Italian.
“A South American pope would be great. Or Mexico. In fact, anyone from the Americas,†Antonio Galati, the manager director of a hotel near St. Peter’s Square, told France’s AFP wire service.
One American candidate for the papacy has already done his small bit for local tourism. TMNews quoted Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley of Boston as joking hat it was difficult to eat badly in Rome.
A major online bookmaker was on Tuesday offering 14-1 on Archbishop O’Malley and somewhat longer odds for American cardinals Raymond L. Burke, the head of the Church’s judicial authority, and Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York.
And there was still time for Rome’s hoteliers to place a bet.
