More than 456, 000 international visitors poured into South Africa between June 1 and 13 to watch and participate in the FIFA World Cup, according to Danny Jordaan, the chief executive officer of FIFA's 2010 local organizing committee (LOC) in South Africa.

This figure is more than the estimates shortly before the tournament, which predicted about 300, 000 foreign visitors. However, last year studies forecast 450,000 for the entire tournament.

Quoted in the Sunday Times in Johannesburg on Sunday, Jordaan added that about 98 percent of the more than three million tickets have already been sold, an indication that the ticket sales could well surpass those of the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006.

Jordaan said already more than 240 million U.S. dollars worth of tickets have been sold with an anticipated 40-million U.S. dollars more to be spent on entry to games.

Of this, about 77 million U.S. dollars has been earmarked by the LOC for the South African Football Association to bolster soccer development.

Jordaan also said a million spectators attended the first 20 matches; 11 of the matches had an attendance of over 97 percent; and matches played so far have attracted at least 500 million television viewers worldwide.

The Sunday Times said that research by global business and audit advisory firm, Grant Thornton estimated a "conservative" 18 billion U.S. dollars will be pumped into the South African economy.

Jordaan described the statistics as phenomenal for South Africa.

He urged fans to continue to embrace the tournament "beyond only Bafana Bafana (South Africa's national team)."

"We've seen with the great attendances at all the games over the last couple of days that South Africans are still very excited to be hosting the world," he said.

Jerry Vilakazi, chief executive of Business Unity South Africa, described South Africa's hosting of the tournament as priceless.

"How can you put a figure or measure the pictures being broadcast to hundreds of millions of people globally of our country every day?" he asked.