Philadelphia leaders are anticipating an economic boost from the up to 1.5 million visitors expected for Pope Francis’ visit this weekend, but skeptics say hopes for a big windfall are overblown. Democratic Mayor Michael Nutter said this week the pope’s visit and the four-day World Meeting of Families, a Catholic gathering, is expected to generate $419 million for the local economy, almost all from the pope. The flood of visitors to see the pope on the last stop of his six-day U.S. visit has brought downtown hotel occupancy to more than 90 percent, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported this week, citing the local hotels association.
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