Assisi Pardon: How to Manage Operations During the Peak Tourist Season

It’s mid-morning on August 1, and your business has been open for an hour, but you’ve already lost count of the people who’ve stopped by to ask what time the Porziuncola opens or where they can park. The phone won’t stop ringing, WhatsApp messages are piling up, and you find yourself repeating the same information over and over while your actual work falls behind. If you run a business in a tourist area, religious events like the Perdono di Assisi aren’t a break—they’re a surge in work that can either overwhelm you or become an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with customers. It all depends on how well you prepare in advance.

What Is the Pardon of Assisi and Why Does It Draw So Many People?

The Pardon of Assisi, or Indulgence of the Porziuncola, is a tradition dating back to 1216, when St. Francis obtained from Pope Honorius III the granting of a plenary indulgence for those who visited the small church of the Porziuncola. Tradition holds that the saint had a vision of Christ and the Virgin Mary, and since then, millions of pilgrims have made their way to Assisi for this event. For those who run businesses in the surrounding area, the “Perdono” is not just a matter of devotion, but a surge of people concentrated into just a few days—from July 29 to August 3—who are looking for information, schedules, and practical guidance. Understanding what motivates a visitor to make the trip gives you a real advantage, because you can anticipate their questions and turn a hurried request into an opportunity for meaningful interaction.

Turning Tradition into an Advantage for Your Business

You don’t have to organize events or reinvent yourself as a spiritual guide. Experiential tourism, in its most practical form, means offering a service that simplifies life for those experiencing an important moment. Take a home goods store, for example: it can prepare a small printed map with the schedules of the celebrations and the least crowded routes to reach the Porziuncola, so that a customer who walks in for a souvenir leaves with useful information that will bring them back. Similarly, a bed-and-breakfast can send a WhatsApp message the day before arrival explaining the requirements for receiving an indulgence, confession, Communion, and prayer according to the Pope’s intentions, as explained in simple terms by many pilgrim guides. A consulting firm near the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli can update the Google Business Profile with the revised hours and a notice about possible traffic disruptions, thereby avoiding unnecessary calls. The bottom line is this: visitors never forget who helped them when they were in trouble, and that memory turns into reviews, word-of-mouth, and repeat business.

Managing the Surge in Inquiries Without Going Crazy

During the Days of Forgiveness, inquiries multiply: hours of operation, reservations, directions, and last-minute availability requests. If you try to respond to everything manually, you’ll end the day exhausted and with a backlog of work. The solution isn’t to work twice as hard, but to set up automated responses to frequently asked questions. WhatsApp Business lets you set up welcome messages and quick replies, while Google Business Profile lets you post updates visible to everyone. If you want to consolidate everything into a single tool, Leader24 can manage conversations on your website and on WhatsApp with an AI assistant that responds in real time, freeing you up to focus on customers already in the store. It’s not a matter of technology, but of priorities: the time you spend repeating “La Porziuncola is open until 7 p.m.” is time you could have dedicated to those who’ve already walked into your restaurant.

Automation Doesn’t Mean Becoming Cold

Many business owners think automation drives customers away, but in practice, the opposite is true. A visitor who messages while waiting in line at La Porziuncola wants an answer right away, not in two hours. If your business responds in thirty seconds while your competitor responds the following evening, you’ve already won. The automated assistant doesn’t replace the human touch—it simply redirects it where it’s truly needed: simple questions, such as hours, prices, and directions, are handled by the system, and when a request becomes complex, the customer is transferred to you or your staff. This way, you only step in for the conversations that matter—well-rested and focused.

Maintaining High Service Quality Even Under Pressure

The secret is preparation. Two weeks before the Feast of the Pardon, take some time to list the most frequently asked questions you receive around religious or tourist events, then write a clear and friendly response for each one, without beating around the bush. Post the answers in an FAQ section on your website, and if you use an automated assistant, upload them there so the system can use them to respond on your behalf at any time. An organization that provides clear information online reduces unnecessary calls, lowers staff stress, and conveys an image of reliability. You don’t need much else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi be obtained only on August 2?

No. The plenary indulgence can be gained from noon on August 1 through midnight on August 2 in all parish and Franciscan churches. At the Porziuncola in Assisi, it can be obtained every day, all year round. The conditions remain the same: confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions, and renunciation of sin.

How can I keep my clients informed without cluttering up social media?

Create a dedicated web page or a section on your website that’s always up to date with the schedules of celebrations, traffic updates, and useful contact information. Share the link once on social media and pin it to the top, then include it in your WhatsApp Business automated messages. This way, you update a single source, and everyone can find the information without having to message you.

I’m worried that automation will make me lose touch with my regular customers. Is that a risk?

Not if you set it up properly. Regular customers immediately recognize an automated message, but they don’t see it as a problem if the response is helpful and immediate. When the question is personal, the system should hand the conversation over to you, and the customer appreciates the speed without judging the tool.

It’s possible to return to the store on August 3 with the certainty that you haven’t missed any opportunities. The first step isn’t technical: grab a piece of paper, write down the questions that take up the most of your time during peak season, and prepare a response. A little time today goes a long way tomorrow.

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