The study, presented by Franz Beckenbauer, the World Cup organizing committee's president, said consumption by World Cup tourists will have increased gross domestic product (GDP) by 3.88 billion euros by 2008.

In World Cup year, GDP - the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country - rose by 3.233 billion euros, according to the study by the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.

Tourism boost

Around 1.3 million foreign visitors to the four-week tournament last June and July spent around 2.5 billion euros to benefit the tourist, retail and restaurant trades in particular.

The study is based on a survey of 10,000 World Cup visitors in the 12 World Cup venues and at fan festival centers.

Brazilian big spenders

It shows that foreign fans came from all sections of society and that World Cup visitors spent more than normal tourists.

Those who travelled long distances to reach Germany also spent more than German fans or visitors from neighbouring countries, said Holger Preuss, who led the study.

"Nobody spent more than the Brazilians," he said. "They went on real shopping trips."