Record of pilgrims from abroad 113.000 people from 170 nations of the world

In the 74 days of the exposition, 112.874 foreign visitors (10,7% of the total number of visitors) went to see the Shroud using the regular system of reservation. They came from 170 countries of the world. In 1998 there had been 58.829 foreign pilgrims form 67 nations, they were 3% of the total.

According to the records of reservations most of foreign visitors came from Western European countries: 61.064 people, 54% of the total number of foreigners (22.5% from France, 10,1 from Spain, 7,5 from Germany, 4,3 from Switzerland, 3,7 from Great Britain, 2,2 from Austria). 23.635 pilgrims came from Eastern Europe, 23,5 % of the total number of foreigners (13,3% from Poland, 1,5% from Hungary). 12.576 came from North America (10,2%). 5.897 people came from Latin America (5,3 %), 2.976 from the Middle East (2,7 %), 3.830 from Asia (3,4%).

The most numerous group of foreign visitors came from France, although the largest increase was in the number of pilgrims from Poland, Spain and United States.

Here are the details on foreign visitors, compared to those of 1998. The data are limited to the 25 countries with the highest attendance rate.

NATION	PILGRIMS Exposition 2000	DIFFERENCE Exposition 1998	Percentage
FRANCE	25.445	+ 1.060	+ 4 %
POLAND	14.972	+ 10.507	+ 236 %
USA	11.534	+ 6.682	+ 137 %
SPAIN	11.410	+ 9.519	+ 503 %
GERMANY	8.461	+ 3.415	+ 67 %
SWITZERLAND	4.806	- 2.831	- 37 %
GREAT BRITAIN	4.125	+ 2.363	+ 134 %
ISRAEL	2.481	+ 2.472
AUSTRIA	2.446	+ 538	+ 28 %
HUNGARY	1.657	+ 984	+ 147 %
SLOVAC REPUBLIC	1.535	+ 933	+ 155 %
EGYPT	1.462	+ 1.455
AUSTRALIA	1.457	+ 1.315	+ 926 %
ROMANIA	1.299	+ 1.126	+ 650 %
ARGENTINA	1.228	+ 925	+ 305 %
BRASIL	1.219	- 135	- 10 %
MEXICO	1.185	+ 916	+ 315 %
JUGOSLAVIA	1.177
NETHERLANDS	1.156	+ 824	+ 248 %
CANADA	1.022	+ 831	+ 435 %
BELGIUM	847	+ 524	+ 162 %
CZECH REPUBLIC	720	+ 402	+ 126 %
RUSSIA	705	+ 468	+ 197 %
JAPAN	660	+ 432	+ 189 %
PERU'	561	+ 307	+ 120 %

As we can notice in the table, the highest increase in the number of pilgrims, comparino to 1998, were recorded by people who came from Eastern European countries (with a record set by Poland), from Spain and from the US. Spanish and Polish people came usually in large groups (there was and average of reservations from Spain for 15 people and from Poland for 19 people) American visitors (an average of 4 people for any reservation) and English visitors (average of 3) came usually in small groups or with their families.

The largest groups came from Egypt (many of them came from the most numerous Italian communities such as those of Milan and Rome) with and average of 29 people per reservation, followed by Slovakians (23) and Hungarian (22).

Cubans were among the less numerous foreign visitors, we recorded 7 reservations for a total of 22 visitors. 35 reservations were made from China, for 90 visitors.

Remarkable the rise in the number of Israeli and Australian visitors. During the exposition of 1998 there had been 9 visitors from Israel and 142 from Australia, while this year there have been respectively 2.481 e 1.457 reservations from those same countries. Just like it happened with American visitors, the majority of the trips were organised by travel agencies which included Turin and the Shroud in Italian Jubilee tours.

And finally there have also been pilgrims who came from very far away countries: one from each of these countries: Aruba, Bangladesh, Belarus, Guadeloupe, Dutch Guyana, Faroe Island, Mali, Namibia, San Pierre, Senegal, Sudan and Togo; two from Dutch Antilles, Ivory Coast, Granada, Portuguese Guinea, Haiti, Marian Islands and Madagascar.

Comitato per l’Ostensione solenne della Sindone e per l'anno giubilare 2000
Committee for the Solemn Exposition of the Shroud and for the jubilee year 2000
Ufficio Stampa - Press Office
Via XX Settembre 83 - Torino
Tel. 011-521.61.67 Fax 011-460.11.82
E-MAIL: press.sindone@torino.chiesacattolica.it