This weekend Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Lourdes sanctuary in south west France. Hundreds of thousands of Catholic followers are expected to make the trip to what is sometimes referred to as the "miracle" town.

The small town of Lourdes deep in the French Pyrenees has a full-time population of just over 15,000. Yet five million people - most of them pilgrims - flock here each year. Nearly half come from outside France,  mainly devout Catholics from Italy, Ireland and Spain.

Most visit the cave entrance or grotto where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. Others fill up on local spring water sometimes called "holy" or "miracle" water.

The pilgrims have different reasons for visiting the sanctuary, according to Pascal Fourticq of the Lourdes tourism office. "Some come to pray in front of the grotto, others to go to a service or even just for cultural reasons. They say they have heard of Lourdes and are curious to know more. Some then decide to take part in some of the religious ceremonies and others choose not to."

Pilgrims are big business in Lourdes - the town has more hotels than anywhere else in France, barring Paris. Outside the sanctuary gates are dozens of stores selling religious souvenirs. Many traditionalists say the stores are tacky and inappropriate for a religious site.

But Philippe Bianco, who represents Lourdes's shopkeepers' federation, defends the business. "It depends on how you see it. From a negative side, all these stores are about making money. From the other side, if all these stores are here it's because there is a real demand from the pilgrims."

Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Lourdes this weekend because the town  is celebrating its jubilee - 150 years since the first recorded miracle.

Since then, the Catholic Church claims nearly 70 miraculous healings have taken place. Many of the visitors are very ill people hoping the surroundings and atmosphere will help them get better.

The town is crowded most weekends, but is expecting around 200,000 pilgrims during the Papal visit. Francis Dehaine, the director of the Sanctuary, says his staff are prepared to handle up to 300,000 visitors.

A special altar and pulpit have been made in a local workshop for the Pope to use during his three days in Lourdes.

Despite the preparations for Pope Benedict's visit, the storekeepers say they haven't seen much demand for souvenirs relating to his three-year-old papacy. The most popular items on sale are still those connected to his predecessor, the late Pope John Paul II.