The next visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain, which begins today and will end on June 12, brings back to the center of the debate a recurring question: what real impact does an apostolic trip have, not only in religious terms but also economically and socially, among others?
Beyond its religious dimension, papal visits have consolidated as phenomena with significant economic, social, and geopolitical implications. In the Spanish case, forecasts point to a notable impact, although lower than that of previous major events. According to estimates from ObservaTUR, the visit could generate between 90 and 125 million euros in direct economic activity linked to religious tourism, a figure that highlights the dynamism of a sector with sustained capacity for mobilization and spending.
The economic boost
The first visible consequence of a papal visit is the increase in tourist flow. On this occasion, cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife are already experiencing growing pressure on their hotel capacity. In the capital, hotel occupancy hovers around 80% during the central days of the visit, while the average rate has seen increases close to 8%. This behavior responds to the usual market logic in the face of events with a high concentration of visitors.
This is complemented by the so-called indirect impact. Initial estimates place the total impact —including transportation, consumption, and associated services— around 240 million euros. From this perspective, every euro invested in organizing the event could generate around six euros in return.
However, the profile of the pilgrim introduces nuances. Unlike the conventional tourist, their average spending tends to be more contained, as it is primarily oriented towards the community experience rather than consumption. As with other major international events, various analyses also warn of the risk of overestimating the economic impact, especially when a significant portion of attendees opts for lower-cost accommodations or reduces their spending level during their stay.
The comparison with the visit of Benedict XVI in 2011 allows for contextualizing the current figures. That occasion, framed within the World Youth Day (WYD), generated an estimated economic impact of 354 million euros, much higher than what is expected now. The difference is due to the scale of the event: the WYD brought together millions of young people from around the world, multiplying the economic effect. More recently, the WYD held in Lisbon in 2023 further raised these figures, with an estimated impact of between 411 and 564 million euros in added value, confirming the capacity of such events to act as true economic engines on a large scale.
The visit of Leo XIV, on the other hand, presents a more distributed format —four venues in seven days— which, while expanding the territorial reach of the impact, limits the massive concentration of visitors.
The “showcase effect”
More difficult to quantify, but key in the medium and long term, is the impact in terms of image and international projection. Papal visits function as a powerful tool of public diplomacy and, in this sense, also operate as instruments of soft power capable of reinforcing the positioning of host countries on the global stage.
During the days of the visit, Spain becomes an international media focus, with the presence of hundreds of journalists and global coverage that acts, in fact, as a high-value tourism promotion campaign. Events such as the mass at the Sagrada Familia or institutional meetings project an image of the country associated with values such as cultural heritage, social cohesion, or coexistence.
One of the central moments planned in the agenda will be the celebration at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, with a highly symbolic act linked to the completion of the Tower of Jesus Christ. The image —of strong iconic load— is expected to have wide dissemination in international media and digital platforms, generating what various analysts describe as a “showcase effect”: a form of global projection equivalent to a large international advertising campaign.
Social and spiritual impact
Beyond the economic and reputational variables, papal visits incorporate a social and symbolic dimension that is more difficult to measure, but no less relevant. In general terms, such events do not usually translate into a sustained increase in new adherents, but rather into an effect of internal reactivation: less connected faithful returning to religious practice, a temporary increase in community participation, and, in some cases, a slight rise in vocations in the short and medium term.
In parallel, these trips reinforce certain discursive frameworks around issues such as social cohesion, migration, or solidarity, aligned with the priorities of the pontiff. As planned, Leo XIV’s agenda includes meetings with vulnerable groups and integration projects, gestures that help underline the humanitarian dimension of the trip.
Far from being limited to the strictly liturgical sphere, the visit of Leo XIV once again highlights that the papacy maintains, in the 21st century, a notable capacity for collective mobilization and symbolic influence. A unique combination of tradition, culture, and international projection that largely explains the relevance of such visits in the contemporary context.