"Religious tourism is a very important asset not just for Rome but for the whole Italian system," she said, adding that 32 million tourists are expected for the Catholic Church's Holy Year.
"There are a lot of resources and much will be done in terms of infrastructure, which for Rome, will be very important.
"I am convinced that we are doing very good teamwork and we are absolutely ready," she said, speaking at Ansa Incontra, an event focussed on sustainable tourism.
Santanché also said Italy needs to be more aware of its global brand value and present a united front when targeting international markets.
"Italy needs to understand that it has the third brand in the world, which is Italy and Made in Italy," she said.
"I understand that the regions do their own promotion when targeting the domestic market because they need to differentiate their offer, but when we go abroad, we have to be united, Welcome to Italy, we have to be Italy.
"Behind a brand there are huge investments," she continued.
“Italy is the brand, so we have to make it clear that we have to promote Italy.".
ANSA
