Indonesian travel to Europe has slowed this year due to global economic and geopolitical factors, but the Vatican’s opening of the Holy Door for the 2025 Jubilee has renewed interest in pilgrimage travel and helped sustain the market.
Although the introduction of a new five-year Schengen visa was expected to encourage more travel, its impact has been limited. Ricky Hilton, general manager of communications and CRM at Golden Rama Tour & Travel, said some clients have received the visa from France, Spain, and Norway, but the overall number remains small.
Hellen Xu, CEO of Panorama JTB Tours Indonesia, explained that the five-year multiple-entry Schengen visa is available only to applicants who have obtained a Schengen visa in the past three years.
“However, there is no guarantee that eligible applicants will always get the five-year visa,” she said, adding that its effect on group bookings has been minimal.
“This policy is still limited to operational services, not a sales driver.”
Amid weak demand for European travel, the Vatican’s Holy Door, which opens every 25 years, has become a key source of business. Ricky noted that pilgrimage tours, such as Golden Rama’s Porta Sancta (Holy Door) packages, have provided much-needed stability.
“The Porta Sancta in the Vatican has opened up opportunities to boost travel to Europe. Cities like Paris, Milan, and Barcelona have become popular routes for pilgrimages, and this trend has become a ‘safety net’ that stabilises our European traffic,” he said.
The tours typically last 10 to 12 days, covering the four holy doors in Rome – St Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of St John Lateran, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, and the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls – as well as stops in cities such as Monaco, Lourdes, and Pisa. Itineraries also include leisure activities such as museum visits and shopping.
Xu said the Holy Door has also driven Panorama JTB’s performance in Europe for 2025. “Without the Holy Door, our European performance would likely have been flat compared to 2024,” she said.
