MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. More than 1.5 million foreign tourists are expected to visit Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, Oleg Safonov, has told reporters.

"We believe that about 1.5 million people will visit us. More exact figures will be available after air tickets sales are over in May. The figure may be even revised upward," he said.

The official believes that the 2018 FIFA World Cup will have a long-term positive effect on Russia’s tourism industry and may even positively influence the Russian economy.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018. Eleven Russian cities, namely Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and Sochi, will host the championship’s matches.