Pope John Paul II's beatification to attract more visitors than Royal Wedding

The beatification ceremony of Pope John Paul II, which will take place in Rome on May 1, 2011, is expected to attract more number of tourists than London's Royal Wedding happening on April 29, according to a leading hotel comparison site.

Rome is experiencing higher demand over the last weekend of April, Trivago figures have revealed.

About 60 percent of London's hotels that have online booking facility through hotel booking sites have still rooms available, while reservations can be made now only in 30 percent of the Rome hotels online, the site said.

Also, Rome hotel rooms are soaring in terms of tariff, indicating the popularity of the beatification ceremony of the Polish born pope.

While an overnight stay in a London hotel around the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will cost about $310, staying in Rome during the beatification will cost around $370 a night, the hotel comparison site said.

The late Pope John Paul II was moved a major step closer to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church early this year, when his successor, Pope Benedict approved a decree attributing a miracle to him. The move meant that John Paul, who died in 2005 after heading the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 27 years, will be beatified. Beatification is the last step before sainthood and such a ceremony draws Catholics from all over the world.