About 2 million foreign tourists, 1.5 million of whom are fans, will visit Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mikhail Degtyarev, Chair of the State Duma Committee for Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs, said at a news-conference.
"Today, the cities that are to host the matches are fully prepared to receive about 1.5 million fans, those who are buying or have already bought football tickets; not to mention those who will just come to see Russia and admire its cultural heritage. We believe that 2 million tourists will visit the country during that month," Mr Degtyarev said, per Interfax.
In turn, Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) pointed out that the number of people who want to attend the World Cup is already much more than was expected. She said the highest number of guests will come from Latin America, Europe, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the US. In addition, requests for airline tickets to Russia from Croatia, Spain and Italy has grown by 17-40 percent.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place in 11 Russian cities in the summer of 2018.
