This week, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will resign as pope at the end of the month, setting up the Catholic Church for the second Papal conclave in recent memory. Benedict is the first pope to relinquish the office since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and has served only seven years in his office. The conclave to elect the new pope is expected to start sometime between March 15 and 20, 2013, as the Universi Dominici Gregis requires the conclave to begin between 15 and 20 days after the vacancy takes effect (as most vacancies are due to the previous Pope's death and the Vatican must prepare and hold the funeral and give Cardinals a chance to travel to Rome).
And since the announcement of the resignation, some tour operators are reporting increased interest in visiting Rome during the time of the expected conclave.
Kier Matthews of Europe Express said that in the 48 hours after the announcement, short term bookings (which he defined as travel within a month's departure) doubled vs. the same period last year. "Clients want to be there for the Cardinal conclave," Matthews told Travel Agent, adding that he expected increased interest to last for the next six to eight months. "That's our current expectation," he said. "Our reservation staff is all working overtime and we are having record sales to Italy in the last week."
Gianni Miradoli of Central Holidays, on the other hand, has not noticed an increase in bookings, but is already preparing for an anticipated bump in interest by improving availability at hotels and adding other offers to customers. Like Matthews, Miradoli also expects interest to remain elevated for the next several months.
Is the Pope's announcement having an impact on your bookings to Italy? Sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for more news about the conclave and how it affects travel!