ST. PETERSBURG, July 26. /TASS/. About 700,000 tourists, 70% of whom were foreigners, visited Russia’s St. Petersburg during the FIFA World Cup, St. Petersburg Deputy Governor Vladimir Kirillov told TASS.
"French President Emmanuel Macron and King Philippe of Belgium came here to see World Cup matches, both of them praised the arrangements made for the tournament, the stadium on the Krestovsky Island in particular," Kirillov said. "About 700,000 tourists visited St. Petersburg during the World Cup, and more than 70% of them were foreigners," he added. "A thing to note is that apart from Europeans who are frequent visitors here, there were also dozens of thousands of people from southern continents who have expressed a wish to come to our city again," the deputy governor noted.
According to Kirillov, all the city services performed perfectly well during the World Cup. "The city was like a single mechanism and accomplished all the tasks set by the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) and our country’s authorities. It included arranging the work of the city facilities, including public transport, ensuring security and coordinating the activities of our wonderful volunteers, who helped create a festive atmosphere in the city," the deputy governor said.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup matches took place in 11 Russian cities between June 14 and July 15. St. Petersburg hosted four group stage games, a round of 16 match, a semi-final match and the third-place game.