Italy's capital closes 2025 with record tourist numbers.2025 was another record year for tourism in Rome, with the Italian capital attracting 22.9 million visitors and a total of 52.92 million overnight stays, the city said on Tuesday.The report, released by the Lazio Bilateral Tourism Board, found that around 12 million of those who visited Rome last year were from abroad. The numbers show a marked increase over 2024 - the previous record - with visitors and overnights stays up 3.42 and 2.87 per cent respectively. The surge in visitor numbers coincided with the Vatican's Jubilee Year, a holy event held in Rome every 25 years. Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed the figures, describing 2025 as "an intense, challenging but very positive year for the city from every perspective." Gualtieri singled out Alessandro Onorato - Rome's councillor for major events, sports, tourism and fashion - for his role in driving growth in the capital's tourism sector. Onorato said the surge was the result of "strategy and specific choices", focusing on "major events that offer an additional reason to return to Rome or extend one's stay." Citing newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Onorato said that tourism generated €13.3 billion in Rome last year, adding: "We are working to continue developing tourism and make it increasingly compatible with the city and its residents".

2025 was another record year for tourism in Rome, with the Italian capital attracting 22.9 million visitors and a total of 52.92 million overnight stays, on Tuesday. The report, released by the Lazio Bilateral Tourism Board, found that around 12 million of those who visited Rome last year were from abroad. The numbers show a marked increase over 2024 - the previous record - with visitors and overnights stays up 3.42 and 2.87 per cent respectively. The surge in visitor numbers coincided with the Vatican's Jubilee Year, a holy event held in Rome every 25 years. Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed the figures, describing 2025 as "an intense, challenging but very positive year for the city from every perspective." Gualtieri singled out Alessandro Onorato - Rome's councillor for major events, sports, tourism and fashion - for his role in driving growth in the capital's tourism sector. Onorato said the surge was the result of "strategy and specific choices", focusing on "major events that offer an additional reason to return to Rome or extend one's stay." Citing newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Onorato said that tourism generated €13.3 billion in Rome last year, adding: "We are working to continue developing tourism and make it increasingly compatible with the city and its residents".