Germany's hotels expect next year's soccer World Cup to boost sales by 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion) as fans from around the globe book overnight stays, said Ernst Fischer, the president of the Dehoga hotel association.

Travelers hoping to see games during the monthlong tournament being staged in 12 German cities will reserve an extra 5.5 million rooms, Fischer yesterday told lawmakers in Berlin, parliament's daily bulletin reported. In June 2004, hotels reported 33.5 million overnight stays, according to the Federal Statistics Office Web site.

German companies including Adidas AG, the world's second- largest sporting-goods maker, expect the tournament to boost sales. The German economy may gain an extra push through sales and construction worth 8 billion euros between 2003 and 2010, a study by Bochum University said.

Fischer said the German government should do more to boost retail sales when the games are played from June 9 through July 9, including suspending night-flight restrictions, dropping plans for a tax on aircraft fuel and allowing longer shop and restaurant opening hours.

A record 1 million fans from 195 countries have so far requested 10 million tickets, FIFA, soccer's world governing body, said on its Web site.

Source: Bloomberg

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