Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko says as many as 1 million tourists are expected to visit the country during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Deputy Prime Minister Mutko, who is also deputy chairman of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Local Organizing Committee Supervisory Board, summarized the results of the recent 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia’s State Duma on Tuesday, TASS reported.
“We expect to that up to a million tourists will visit Russia next year (for the World Cup),” the deputy PM said.
“It has been stressed at the meeting that the Confederations Cup is the prologue of the World Cup,” said Mutko, talking about the final meeting at the Confederations Cup organizing headquarters.
“We have to make conclusions and start preparations for the World Cup literally today,” he added.
The Confederations Cup was hosted in Russia for the first time this summer from June 17 to July 2 across four cities – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place in 11 Russian cities from June 14 to July 15.