STORY:
Rome Needs Homes For Millennium Tourists

Rome's city leaders are appealing to its citizens to open their homes because they are worried there won't be enough accommodations for many of 25 million tourists and pilgrims expected to flock to Rome next year for millennium and Holy Year celebrations.

A Reuters' report appearing on CNN Interactive says the capital's hotels and pensions account for 80,000 beds and most are booked solid year-round.

The story says a recent survey commissioned by the agency organizing Holy Year celebrations predicted that 25,000 families -- most outside the city limits -- would be interested in opening their homes to pilgrims. Rome officials are counting on having some 4,000 homes approved. Nearly 2,000 families have already applied for permits, and 100 have so far been screened and approved, officials said.

Bed and breakfast is a relative novelty for Romans. The first law regulating bed and breakfasts -- setting a minimum amount of floor space per lodger and granting the hosts tax incentives -- was passed in 1997.

Source: Reuters / CNN

DATE: 5/17/99

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